Summer concerts return to Falls Village

FALLS VILLAGE — “It’s like a mini Tanglewood,” said director of the David M. Hunt Library Meg Sher as families were arriving to the library lawn with their dinner and drinks on picnic blankets to hear Jonathan Grusauskas, or Jonny G., perform on Friday evening, July 11.

Jonny G. was born and raised in Falls Village and has been playing music for 27 years, since he was in 5th grade, and is a part of a band called lespecial.

He is the founder and owner of the Music Cellar in Millerton, New York, which is a music school offering lessons for all ages, skill levels, and many instruments. It is also a rehearsal and recording space.

The songs Jonny G. performed spanned decades and genres, from Simon and Garfunkel to Rufus Wainwright to Billie Eilish. He even played “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Amish Paradise,” a parody of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise.” He also brought on a couple guests to perform with him; his sister Maria Rose sang with him for a few songs, and Eli Sher, age 10, played the bass drum on Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer.”

Towards the end of the show, Jonny took a request from the crowd. Someone yelled out, “play a kid’s song!” Without a second thought he started playing “Baby Shark” and, like clockwork, the kids came flocking back from playing on the lawn.

The performance was a part of the Hunt Library and the Falls Village Recreation Committee’s summer concert series. The free event was complete with children running around in the grass, pets roaming the crowd and the serene backdrop of Falls Village at golden hour.