John Molo, the drummer in Bruce Hornsby and the Range when they won the 1986 Grammy for Best New Artist, has been a member of Bay Area band Moonalice since May 2009 and also drums for the David Nelson Band. He played with Phil Lesh in several lineups through 2024, including the Phil Lesh Quintet, and has toured with John Fogerty and Chris Robinson’s Green Leaf Rustlers. Moonalice keeps him busy around Northern California, including a 2026 set at San Francisco’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival.
The success of Bruce Hornsby and the Range with albums including The Way It Is, Scenes from the Southside, Night on the Town, Harbour Lights and Hot House, brought the tasty drumming of John Molo to the world, with the Grammy-winning drummer (w/Asleep at the Wheel, Branford Marsalis) revealing himself as a diverse and tasteful musician. John connected with Hornsby at the University of Miami, where they studied alongside other great musicians including Pat Metheny.
In ’87 John and Bruce signed a recording deal as Bruce Hornsby & The Range and had a huge hit with The Way It Is. Being adverturous, John pursued other interests, burning on Hendrix-type tunes with top session guitarist Tim Pierce and Chicago’s bassist/vocalist Jason Scheff. He’s added drums to Mickey Hart’s Planet Drum and he toured with Phil Lesh and Friends, as the Grateful Dead bassist delivered intelligent jamming to the masses. Plus John has his own band Modereko.
He has played with a variety of other bands, combos, and soloists, including Delaney Bramlett, Keller Williams, Mike Watt, Paul Kelly, David Nelson, and Jemimah Puddleduck. He has also toured with John Fogerty.