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WHEREAS, The Beagle Brothers, arguably one of Pittsburgh’s best country bands, have been performing in and around Western Pennsylvania since 2005, with their unique brand of classic country delivered with high energy and a punk rock ethos; and
WHEREAS, The Beagle Brothers are comprised of vocalists Gabriel Smith and Noah Smith, bassist Kyle Kline, steel guitarist Read Connolly, drummers Franklin Molin and Ezra Smith, and guitarists DJ Hetrick, Samuel Cooper, Jeffrey Ritter, and Eric Brockschmidt; and
WHEREAS, The Beagle Brothers have performed as the house band for the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s Groundhog Day event, resulting in their appearance and lampooning on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” where then-host Jon Stewart referred to the Beagle Brothers as “Punxsutawney’s best Zac Brown cover band;” and
WHEREAS, The Beagle Brothers have been designated as the favorite band of Rick Sebak, beloved Pittsburgh documentarian, and donated all profits from their single “9 Out of 10/It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”, released through Pittsburgh-based Mind Cure Records, to the benefit of WQED and the Fred Rogers Company; and
WHEREAS, The Beagle Brothers have continually displayed an eclectic array of musical breadth, performing annually on Valentine’s Day, playing 80s power ballads; on St. Patrick’s Day, playing Irish and Celtic music; and on Johnny Cash Day, a celebration of the music of Johnny Cash that benefits the Elks National Foundation Scholarships; and
WHEREAS, The Beagle Brothers created and ran a monthly event at Howlers Coyote Café in Bloomfield called the Sunday Night Hayride, which provided an outlet for country-influenced musicians to perform during its five year run, and helped to cultivate an interest in country music within Pittsburgh; and
WHEREAS, The Beagle Brothers were credited with creating “the Bloomfield Sound” by the Pittsburgh City Paper, which the paper described as, “original tales of country-style woe, warbled in a road-weary voice over simple strumming…from young locals who frequently play venues like Howlers and Thunderbird Café;” and
WHEREAS, after a long, distinguished career, the Beagle Brothers will be celebrating their 10 years together as a band with a performance at the Thunderbird Café, where a new beer, called Beagle Brothers Porter, will be released by local brewery East End Brewing Company to commemorate the band’s tenure.
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NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize The Beagle Brothers for their depth of character, dedication to their community, and continued and everlasting commitment to country music; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare December 12th, 2015 “Beagle Brothers Day” in the City of Pittsburgh.