Lani Poulsen and ‘the Essential’ Santa Cruz Sound

Lani Poulsen brings the essential soul to The Essentials’ Santa Cruz sound with captivating vocals and a whole lot of groove.

By Julie Horner

The Essentials are a high-energy dance band consisting of seasoned musicians from the Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Cruz. Fluent in many different genres and styles, the 6-member group is focused on R&B, funk, soul, and rock covers as well as some originals. Founder of the band and the guy who keeps things together, keyboardist John Lubell, is joined by Frank Hohl (guitar), John Toews (bass), Brian “Suss” Sussman (drums), Everett Moody (sax), and Lani Poulsen (vocals).

Lubell said, “Frank, Suss, and I were playing in the local band, The Gravity, and were just looking to do something different on the side in 2022. We recruited John on bass, who Suss played with in the longtime Santa Cruz band, The Blackouts, and a singer, Patty Peterson, that I knew from a previous band, The Roomshakers.” And no righteous R&B outfit is complete without sax, so they approached well known session player Everett Moody and he agreed to join. The band started played R&B songs in Lubell’s garage. When Patty decided to go in a different direction, they put an ad on Craigslist for a replacement and found the local powerhouse Lani Poulsen.

Essential Ingredients

Each band member comes to the effort with varied pedigrees. Lubell graduated Cum Laude with a BA in Economics from the University of California, San Diego and has been playing music all his life. Hohl is a longtime pro and has written songs like “I Feel the Sun” for the 2021 documentary titled, “Where Do We Belong,” which takes a look at foster families in the 1960s. And from the ‘who knew’ department, Lubell spilled the beans: “Suss, our in-the-pocket drummer never talks about his 20 years as a TV weatherman in San Francisco; he minored in music during college and has been a weekend warrior drummer his entire adult life.” Moody, who plays prolifically around the county and will turn 20 this year is a prodigious addition to The Essentials sound. As bassist and vocalist for The Blackouts, John Toews has bragging rights on playing over 2400 shows, more gigs than any other band in Santa Cruz history, according to LocalWiki. Lani Poulsen has been singing since the age of 8 and has graced cabarets and cafes from Canada to Mexico, left coast to east coast, castles in Russia, and down under with her late father, recording artist Hans Sven Poulsen in Australia. Poulsen’s father had hits in the 70s including “Boom Sha La La Lo” and “There’s a Light Across the Valley.”

Girls Out Front

With a nod to Tina Turner and Janis Joplin, Lani gives The Essentials their elementally cool cache. “From an early age music has always felt like home to me,” she said. “I feel more comfortable on the stage than in many other places, and I love to encourage others to feel the same.” With 25 years of performance cred under her belt, the musician, singer, and coach offers private vocal, keyboard, and performance technique lessons online and in person, and is an instructor at the School of Rock in San Jose, which helps striving musicians of all ages, especially youngsters, build their skills and confidence for performance. “My specialties are in encouraging people to express themselves passionately,” she said.

In The Essentials, Lani brings natural charisma and an obvious love for what she does, inspiring people to get up and dance joyfully. “We are excited to come out into the community as a rocking dancing band. It’s a great group of people spreading lots of awesome positive energy and it’s allowing me to refine and gain even more experience as an artist in an area rich with so many talented artists.”

lessonsbylani.com | FB: @lani.poulsen
theessentialssantacruz.com | FB and IG: @theessentialssantacruz

Read more about Santa Cruz area bands in the San Lorenzo Valley Post Music section.