PRESS RELEASE                                                                                       PRESS RELEASE Press Release-For Immediate Release Summertime in the City GREAT Eats, HOT Music, COOL Cars Join special guests Alan Barcus, Chris Bendix, Tom Milo, & Kyrie Anderson in a benefit for the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra Date:  August 13, 2010 Time:  6:30 p.m. buffet & cars, 8:00 entertainment, cash bar Location: Rag Top Museum                  209 West Michigan Blvd.                  Michigan City, IN 46360-3273                   www.ragtopsmuseum.com Tickets: $45 pre-sale, $50 at the door Press Contacts Only: Lee Bauman, Executive Director, La Porte County Symphony Orchestra Office: 219-362-9020, executive@lcso.net, cell: 630-235-8676 www.lcso.net Songwriter/humorist Alan Barcus comes to Rag Tops in Michigan City, Indiana on August 13th as a part of the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra's newest summer fundraiser.  Alan's all-star band includes Tom Milo on Drum Set, Chris Bendix on Bass, and Hoosier Star 2009 winner Kyrie Anderson on vocals.  Barcus will present his blend of reminiscences and original compositions that highlight his experiences growing up in La Porte.  Also included will be songs from his new musical, "Lords of the Levee" which was written with WGN and Chicago Tribune personality Rick Kogan and Chicagoan Julian Frazen. Alan Barcus songwriter/humorist   Alan has had a long career in both music and theater.  He has scored eleven films, many under the banner of the PBS anthology American Playhouse.  His most recent film was "Raising Flagg," starring Alan Arkin.  One of his earliest projects was the much-honored short film "Medusa Challenger," featuring Joe Mantegna.   He has also written the book, lyrics and music for three stage musicals, all of which appeared in Chicago, including "Eli" (co-written with Joe Mantegna) at the Forum Theater; "Keegle Street" at the Michigan Avenue Water Tower Theater and "The Problem is Women; the Problem is Men," at the Briar Street Theater.   As a part of Opus III Music, Alan has written and produced the music for over 2,400 television and radio commercials, including campaigns for McDonald's, United Airlines, Kellogg's, Dial, Pepsi, Betty Crocker, State Farm Insurance, Citibank and countless others.  He is perhaps best known in this field as the long-running "rattle rattle, thunder clatter, boom boom boom" voice of Car-X Mufflers.   His symphonic/ jazz band piece, "Driftin' With the Tide" --an adaptation of the George and Ira Gershwin piece "Summertime" (written for the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra and Tom Milo Big Band) premiered in La Porte in 2004.  A choral version of this song is performed frequently by the Chicago choir The Lakeside Singers.   For the past four years Alan has performed his one-man shows "Confessions of a Reluctant Musician" (Parts I, II and III) and "The Last Irish Kid in Poletown" in venues in the midwest and in California.   His CD, "Alan Barcus . . . Don't I Know" has sold surprisingly well, especially on the internet, and one of the songs, "It Ain't Easy Gettin' Old," was nominated for a 2009 JPF award.  Alan's fight song for the Chicago Cubs--"You're My Cubs"--which has played at Wrigley Field since 1989--was a favorite download of Cub fans this past season.  He takes no responsibility, by the way, for their absence from the World Series since 1908.