Big Apple Bluegrass

The Grass Messengers

IBMA award winner and two-time Grammy nominee Chris Luquette saw an opportunity in his Brooklyn, New York, community several years ago. He jumped on it in 2020, after moving there from Seattle, Wash. He put together a trio he hoped would fill a hole in the local music scene. They’re called The Grass Messengers.

“NYC has a wonderful bluegrass scene, with many jams and gigs, but I noticed when I arrived here that it lacked any bands performing tight bluegrass trio harmony singing,” Luquette explained. “Plus, it became a great outlet for me to play mandolin after being in so many bands over the years on guitar.”

One of those outfits he gigged with was Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen, with whom he toured for 11 years. But today, he puts his energy into his solo work and other collaborations, including slowly growing the trio. Banjo player Ellery Marshall and flatpicker/lead vocalist Christian Apuzzo are joining him in the group.

“We've been taking it a little slow since forming in 2020, due to other projects and growth in the local NYC scenes,” Luquette said, adding that Marshall had been in LA a lot for “family band work with his uncle, renowned mandolinist Evan Marshall.” Luquette and Apuzzo have been busy “bouncing around NYC and Brooklyn,” playing lots of country and bluegrass gigs. Additionally, Luquette recently taught at the inaugural NE Flatpick Camp in Hadley, Mass., hosted by Tony Watt, and he will soon be out west at the PNW Flatpick Camp. He’s “freelanced” recently with performers including Jeremy Garrett, Becky Buller Band, Rick Faris Band, Frank Solivan, Cliff Westfall and Bushwick Mountain Boys.

Apuzzo is also involved with teaching.

“He regularly teaches bluegrass jam classes, along with classes on guitar and vocals,” Luquette said, of his bandmate’s connection to The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music, which has an increasingly relevant role in that region. “Jalopy Theatre and Tavern regularly hosts bluegrass events, and it is a beacon of the roots music scene in the Northeast. I have played many times there, and most recently was part of a large show hosted and presented by the New York City Formerly Unemployed Musicians Sandlot Baseball League (FUMBL), which sold out and featured several baseball-themed bluegrass songs alongside Americana and early jazz.”

With all that going on, the trio found a way to fit in their project; in 2023, Luquette said The Grass Messengers did a tour of the Pacific Northwest and “had a wonderful time.” They don’t yet have any recordings, but Luquette said the trio hopes to finally “enter the studio in the fall or winter.” Luquette released his second solo outing, “City Suite for 2 Guitars,” on which Apuzzo was a featured performer, and he and Marshall released a “Live in Paris” album for yet another project they do together, The Bushwick Mountain Boys. As if all that’s not enough, Apuzzo is also a member of the Big Apple-based string band Cole Quest and The City Pickers, who have recently released several albums. Whew – so many projects, so little time!

“I met Christian [Apuzzo] in 2016 at the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, where I had played with Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen,” he recalled. “Soon after that, I met Ellery [Marshall] at Mona's Bluegrass Session in NYC, and we quickly realized we needed to play together as much as possible. After a few years of local gigs, I knew our trio had something special, and we needed to become a band and work on some tight vocal arrangements. Christian is one of the most powerful vocalists in bluegrass music, and Ellery, with his powerful banjo playing, adds great third harmonies.”

The project will be ramping up more this year. In addition to going into the studio, Luquette mentioned several events they’re looking forward to this summer.

“In early July of 2025, we will be a featured artist at the Prince Edward Island Festival in Canada, with a Northeastern USA tour to support those dates,” he said. “In August, The Grass Messengers will perform at the County Bluegrass Festival in Fort Fairfield, Maine. We played there last year and had a wonderful time. It was the band’s first time playing a tried-and-true bluegrass festival, and we couldn't have had more fun.”

Luquette said he enjoys working with a variety of performers with different styles.

“Every day is a new adventure, and I'm thankful for that,” he added.