Massachusetts Museum Hosts Julia Greenberg Concert

Massachusetts Museum Of Contemporary Art Julia Greenberg Sings Dory Previn In an Alt Cabaret Performance (North Adams, Massachusetts) MASS MoCA fans will remember Julia Greenberg from her co-starring role in People Are Wrong, a rock opera with They Might Be Giants founder John Flansburgh.

This summer she will return to put her own twist on the uncompromisingly surreal, sexual and hauntingly neurotic songs of singer/songwriter Dory Previn in an Alt Cabaret performance on Saturday, August 8, at 8 PM in the Courtyard Pavilion or in MASS MoCA’s Club B-10 in case of rain. The galleries open until 7:30 PM. The Alt Cabaret series is supported in part by the Hans & Kate Morris Fund for New Music.

Greenberg’s take on Previn’s songs will be far from the average night at the theater by a long shot. CMJ New Music Report notes, “There is nothing subtle about Greenberg's flair for making the most of a strong pop sensibility and writing brazen, heartfelt lyrics. Awash in hoods the size of Texas and a lyrical wit to match.”

Dory Previn, a decorated artist and book author, is recognized for her success writing motion picture theme songs throughout the 1960s and 1970s for which she received several Oscar and Emmy nominations and awards. Her best known work includes: The Faraway Part Of Town, sung in the film Pepe by Judy Garland, So Long, Big Time, which was recorded by Tony Bennett for his album The Many Moods Of Tony and You're Gonna Hear From Me recorded by Frank Sinatra for the 1965 film Inside Daisy Clover, as well as five songs for Valley Of The Dolls.

Born Dory Langdon, she married musician and collaborator Andre Previn in 1957. When Previn left her for Mia Farrow in 1969, Dory expressed her outrage in the song Beware Of Young Girls. Previn released seven critically acclaimed albums between 1970 and 1976.

In addition to writing lyrics and songs, Previn’s history of neglect, divorce, and her own stay in psychiatric institutions, where she received electric shock therapy, has fuelled her writing. Her autobiography, Midnight Baby, was followed by Bog Trotter in the 1980s.

Greenberg began her musical studies at New York’s High School of Music and Art and later earned a degree from Wesleyan University. She joined the country punk band Cowlick, performing in the New York and New England club scene. Pursuing a solo career, Greenberg began working with musicians, including members of Health and Happiness Show, Birdy, and the Other 99. Together, Greenberg and her musician friends formed Cropduster Records, producing and releasing their work. Greenberg produced her first CD Past your Eyes which Performing Song Writer noted is “packed with hookladen pop gems that exude a radio-friendly, slightly retro vibe. Blessed with a wonderful gift for melody." Greenberg’s single Pitiful You from the album made Rolling Stone’s most downloaded MP3 charts. -- www.massmoca.org