Arts & Entertainment

Local Music and Media Innovators Launch New Production Company, Series to Premiere September 14 at Irvington Theater

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September 13, 2019

Westchester natives Parker Reilly and Jon Chattman have joined forces to create Funner Productions — a concert series designed to introduce audiences to new sounds, diverse genres, and inventive performers.

We want Funner audiences to experience the artists they love, as well as ones they don’t love yet — but will,” said Reilly, whose own love of live performance dates back to his childhood in Irvington watching TV variety shows that featured everything from unknown jugglers and comics to superstar pop celebrities. “You know that feeling you get when you play a song for a friend? Or when you share a band you’ve discovered with your social circle? This is a chance to do that on a larger scale.” Shows will include indie and classic rock’n’roll, country, folk, Broadway, and jazz.

Yonkers native Chattman has produced events in NYC and worked as Marketing and Communications Director for the Music Conservatory of Westchester. “I’ve always been around music, though my career has been primarily in writing. Many of my books have music content, and I have a music series, ‘A-Sides’ — which appeared on HuffPost, and in USA Today and Inked Magazine.”

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Reilly has played in bands since he was 13. One of those bands, The Sons, had a song in the movie Dumb and Dumber and on its soundtrack CD. “I played with Carly Simon for a time,” he said, “and have had my current band, the Electric Stories, for eight years.”

Having raised their families in the Westchester communities where they grew up, Reilly and Chattman are excited to bring the joy of discovering new and beloved artists back home. Funner will present well-known musicians who used to rock iconic venues but now appreciate the chance to connect with fans in small, intimate venues like the Irvington Theater.

“Come check out the music you love, and especially try to get to the shows with music you’re not familiar with,” said Reilly.

Funner premieres September 14 at 6:30 p.m. with “Supernatural on the Hudson,” a history-based, “hauntingly fun” evening at Irvington Theater with storyteller Jonathan Kruk. Known for varied voices and playful wit, Kruk has mesmerized families with sold-out, solo performances of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” since 2010 and been featured on The TODAY Show, CBS Sunday Morning and The Travel Channel.

To order tickets for “Supernatural on the Hudson,” visit www.irvingtontheater.com.

Recommended for ages 10 and up, Funner’s debut has something for everyone — like the variety shows of Reilly and Chattman’s youths — and sets the stage for an eclectic and enchanting season of Funner entertainment.

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