Loose Gravel & the Quarry: Press

Best Male Vocalist:
Blues Singer Loose Gravel aka Steve"Your Looseness" Luhtala has an unforgettable, deep bass-baritone voice. His voice is strenghth and love personified. Loose Gravel and his band , the Quarry, could play anywhere and be well recieved. Known in Tacoma as the "King Of The Tideflats", Gravel's longshoreman, every-man styled blues is relatable and timeless. The Quarry is Johnny Burgess on keyboards and vocals, Steve Cooley on guitar and vocals, Rich Nesbitt on bass and Gary Marcello on percussion.
Gravel is the songwriter and leader of the group as well as devoted husband to his lovely wife, Gayle, to whom he often dedicates songs. Loose gravel can be seen around the Puget Sound at pubs parties and festivals. Check him out at http://loosegravelandthequarry.com

Video-Blog interview with Loose Gravel himself!

Touched my soul with "Don't You Know"
Reviewer: Rip Morgan
Don't You Know brings light to the soul. The lyrics and arrangement make it a profound personal message about love's strife. All of the tracks are the essence of great blues and spiritual rhythm, my favorite blues CD. I'm so glad (after three years)to replace the old CD that got eaten by my old CD player. Thanks CD Baby and thanks Loose Gravel for producing Boulder In The Highway.

outstanding blues
Reviewer: Jo
The cd as a whole is outstanding. Spirits in the Wind and Don't You Know are probably among the greatest on the cd.

This is my rainy day pickup. Love it!
Reviewer: Lucy Richardson
I bought this cd during a trip to the Sound. Great music. Great time! Listen and you will want it for those rainy days.

CD Review
Loose Gravel and the Quarry
Boulder On The Highway
(Independent)
by Tony Engelhart
Review date: December 2001




1999 KBA Award Winner
Achievement for Blues on the Internet
Presented by the Blues Foundation


Take a cup of blues, a pinch of soul and a dab of folk and you get Steven "Loose Gravel" Luhtala. Give Loose Gravel his band, The Quarry, and you have one of the finest sounds to come out of Tacoma in a long time.

On their 1st recording, BOULDER IN THE HIGHWAY, Loose Gravel and The Quarry lay it all out with great musicianship and catchy lyrics. Loose Gravel's vocals are reminiscent of the legendary Tom Waits, rough yet sturdy while his harp playing is simple yet affective. Gritts Henslee and Steve Cooley unleash some mean guitar solos, and Johnny Burgess' keyboards are steady and reliable. The horn arrangements by sax and trumpet player Al Green, are stout, as are his solos.

The opening and title track only last 40 seconds but reprises at the end for a full 6:19, is an effective acoustic piece with a Jimmy Buffet-esc quality. Spirits in the Wind, the second track will catch you off guard. This haunting ballad of ancient warriors seems a peculiar song choice however; it does give this CD diversity not found on most blues recordings.

The remainder of the disc is straight-ahead blues including covers of Help Me and Unchain My Heart. The smoking shuffle She won't put out, an original composition, is four minutes of bar room blues. Gravel isn't afraid to share the spotlight as he teams up with a funky vocal exchange with guitarist Karl Thurman on the track I'm gonna get her.

There are two versions of the slow blues cut Raining in Tacoma (a grumbling tune about the weather here in the Pacific Northwest), a four-minute radio version and a bonus eight-minute version, which ends the record.

Self produced, BOULDER IN THE HIGHWAY, is a fun, diverse collection of music by these homegrown blues musicians.

http://communities.msn.com/LooseGravelandtheQuarry/loosegravelsnewcd.msnw

Tony Engelhart
Freelance Journalist
http://havemusic.com/mn

Loose Gravel & The Quarry


Friday, 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm : The Blues Stage at Mural Amphitheater






A Tacoma-based blues musician, Steven "Loose Gravel" Luhtala is reminiscent of Tom Waits. With significantly gritty vocals, a steady harp, and heartbroken vocals, Loose Gravel is an exciting addition to the Northwest blues scene.

Artist Web site: http://groups.msn.com/LooseGravelandtheQuarry

go to Gravel's group and click on "reviews"

For: Scene And heard

Loose Gravel and the Quarry are one of the Northwest's hottest bands and they have the fans to back that statement. Lately, some at of the venues there is standing room only. The new line up has some of the top notch musicians from around the Puget Sound area. Please check out one of their shows when they come to rock your town with their unique sound. Loose Gravel and the Quarry are getting ready to go into the studio for their newest CD project with the new band line up .The Quarry backs up Steve "Loose Gravel" Luhtala and consists of five all-star musicians with Karl Thurmond (guitar, vocals), Johnny Burgess (keyboards, vocals), Tom Mazucca, (sax), Harry Joynes, (percussion), Kris Knowlton (bass, vocals). Check out their web site for new updated info. www.loosegravelandthequarry.com Watch for their CD release parties.

"STAYING TRUE TO THE BLUES"

...Blues man 'Loose Gravel' happy to keep on playing his music.

By Christopher Kornelis, ckornelis@kitsapsun.com
November 11, 2005

It was John Lee Hooker who gave Steve Luhtala an appetite for the blues.
Luhtala was 11, and he's been ravenous ever since.
"It's all the backbone of everything; everything that's ever been American," Luhtala said of the blues. "That's what makes American music original. It's in rock 'n' roll, it's in rap, everything."
More than 30 years after the Tacoma musician — better known as "Loose Gravel" — entered the business, he still considers himself a student of the art form. When he hangs up his guitar, he wants to teach inner city elementary students the history of what he sees as the roots of American pop music.
"A lot of these kids right now think that rap's where it all started from," he said. "It's American history that's been washed over."
Gravel's band plays at 9:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Manette Saloon and returns Nov. 19 to take part the Battle of the Bands competition that runs into early December.

Although he's been at it a long time, Gravel is a ways from writing the ending to his days on stage.
Working with what he calls "the best band behind me ever," Loose Gravel and the Quarry is at work on a new album, "Bald Men Blues."
"We're not all bald guys," he said, "but there's a lot of them out there. Somebody's gotta do something for the common man."
The title is telling of the generational gap between his and the other bands competing in the Manette's Battle of the Bands. Gravel is looking at the event as just another show.
"I don't know exactly how I got into this thing," he said. "We have fun when we play and that's what we do."
Gravel has been fronting a band under the current moniker since 1992, but recently went through a lineup change. The current players are Karl Thurmond on guitar, Johnny Burgess on keyboards, Tom Mazucca on saxophone, Harry Joynes on drums and Kris Knowlton on bass.
The band's set list, Gravel said, is split evenly between originals and covers of influences such as Hooker, B.B. King and Willie Dixon.
"We do a little bit of everything in our act," he said. "We are blues guys, but we can play anything. Not that I'd play rap. I appreciate all types of music if it's done well."