Singer-songwriter Lauren Wahl is no stranger to Santa Cruz audiences. Over the years, she’s both been in and led several bands including Simply Put and Blue Tail Flies and lately has been sitting in with the cover band, Hall Pass. Over the past several years, she’s also teamed up with guitarist extraordinaire Bill Walker.

She and Walker have just added a rhythm section to what they do. And this Sunday afternoon, they’ll debut their new Slow Coast Band at El Vaquero Winery in Corralitos. Earlier this week, the Sentinel caught up on the phone with her to discuss how the sound, the duo with Walker and now the band evolved.

“For the past few years, I’ve been playing with Bill every third Friday at Davenport Roadhouse,” Wahl said. “It’s sort of a built-in gig with lovely people who own that place. Playing there has become kind of our schtick.” Their regular appearances there have also given the two of them room to develop what they’ve dubbed their Slow Coast sound, a title that they came up with literally on the way to one of their third-Friday appearances. It’s a mix of Wahl’s lush vocals combined with Walker’s unique guitar playing, often accented with looping — playing and recording a guitar part, then playing another on top of it in a layered manner.“Slow Coast is an ode to the area above Davenport,” she said. “It’s sort of where Bill and I started and created our sound together, so it speaks to the vibe of what we do. We’re more on the laid back side, and we allow a lot of room for play and spontaneous movement within the music. ‘Slow Coast’ just seemed like the right band name for us (as a duo).”

Wahl is arguably one of the finest vocalists in the area. And Walker is a longtime staple on the Santa Cruz music scene. He was with Tao Chemical back in the ‘80s and Worlds Collide in the ‘90s. For the past 25 years he’s been teaching, doing recording sessions, and playing solo, in addition to supporting singer-songwriters like Wahl.

(Full disclosure: I met Walker when I shared a show with him and Wahl several years ago. I quickly and politely poached him. He’s also been a part of my band ever since. Walker’s a busy guy, and there’s no one around who plays quite like him.)

Moving their duo to a full band has been something Wahl and Walker have wanted to do for a while. “We’ve been feeling it out in our Slow Coast way,” she said. “We never want to rush into anything. We’ve thought for about a year about expanding our sound, and we’re finally doing it!”

As a band, “it’s the same layered soundscapes that Bill creates with his looper,” Wahl said, “but less so because he’ll be freed up with the rhythm section.” That rhythm section is Ken Norton on bass and Dave Roda on drums, two additional musicians with a longtime presence in Santa Cruz. “These guys are really good,” Wahl exclaimed. “And Bill is such a special guy. I’ve been so blessed to play with him for these years. Having him there makes me feel like a better musician.”

Songwise, the Slow Coast Band covers tunes by Norah Jones, Kacey Musgraves, some Beatles, “all the ‘90s female singer-songwriters — I love the storytelling behind the songwriting — and at least seven or eight originals,” Wahl added.

As with any local musician, Wahl’s never at a loss for a song, a band or a place to play. This new band, however, is special. “I’ve had so much fun with my projects over the years,” she said, “and I’ve been lucky to play music with people. And this one’s also going to be a blast!”

Michael Gaither is a performing songwriter, radio DJ and the music writer for The Santa Cruz Sentinel.