Album Notes

Loose Gravel an the Quarry is a Tacoma, Wa. based hard drivin' original blues and classic rock band that has been performing in the area since 1992. It's leader and frontman Steve "Loose Gravel" Luhtala is the main singer/songwriter and provdes the heart and soul to the music of the band. The "King of the Tide Flats", as he is known, got his nickname "Gravel" playing softball due to the sound of his deep gravelly voice. The band(The Quarry) consists of five more all-star musicians including Pete Moceri on guitar, Johnny Burgess on keyboards, Tom Mazuka on Sax, Gary Marcello on drums, and Mike Patton on Bass. The Quarry is the backbone to Gravel's style of blues. The dynamics of the music can teeter between a whisper and a thick powerful sound guaranteed to get people tapping their feet if there not already dancing. Loose Gravel and the Quarry have played many venues including The Emerald Queen Casino, The Lucky Eagle Casino, Tastes of Tacoma, Bite of Seattle, Tacoma's Freedom Fair, and just about every blues venue in Tacoma. They performed at the 2004 Bumbershoot Festival at the Seattle Center. They performed at the 2004 Sunbanks Blues Festival as well. Loose Gravel and the Quarry have what other blues bands don't have: A UNIQUE SOUND. Thier CD titled: "Boulder in the Highway" is packed with 14 tracks and has been a "must have" at all thier shows!

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

Tony Engelhart - Blues on Stage