The Hillbilly Thomists Rock Out with Zac Brown Band's 'Chicken Fried' Song at University Concert

As part of Providence College’s Homecoming weekend, the Zac Brown Band headlined their annual Late Night Madness event on October 19.

To the audience’s surprise, two special guests joined Zac Brown on stage for his famous song “Chicken Fried”: Father Simon Teller, O.P., and Father Justin Bolger, O.P., of The Hillbilly Thomists. 

Father Simon Teller, O.P., the Providence College chaplain in Rhode Island, spoke with ChurchPOP to share his thoughts on the experience. 

Father Teller shared that a friend of a friend made the connection by asking Zac Brown if they could join the band for a song. Father John Maria Devaney, O.P., helped seal the deal, telling Father Teller to bring their instruments. 

“Zac Brown is a great guy, very laid back," Father Teller told ChurchPOP. "He told our friend, ‘Bring them backstage and we’ll see what we can do.’”

Brown asked which song of his they knew, and they decided on "Chicken Fried." 

“I was nervous beforehand but once we got on stage, it was totally serene; it was awesome," Father Teller said. "All the students know who we are because the friars have a big social media presence on campus, so they immediately recognized us. When Zac introduced us, the place went absolutely ballistic.” 

 “It was the last song of the concert and a nice way to just bring it back home, to Friartown, to Providence College, to what we are all about here. As chaplain for the students, I felt like they were on stage with me. Friends and family were also texting me and couldn’t believe it.”

Father noted many people coming up to the friars offering compliments.

“It really just totally broke the ice and forged a great connection with everyone on campus.”

The Hillbilly Thomists are made up of eight Dominican friars, but only two of them performed since they are assigned in Providence. Father Justin is currently the chaplain at Brown University but was the chaplain at Providence last year.

“It was like a homecoming for him and the students," Father Teller noted.

The video of the friars singing with Zac Brown went viral with over 29,000 views on X, and thousands more on Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok.

Many of us can spot a Dominican friar easily, but for thousands of others online, this may be the first time they’ve seen a member of the Catholic clergy. While the friars are no strangers to social media, it is still a lot of responsibility. 

“A lot of times, people have a stereotype of Catholicism because of their past experiences or the way it is stereotyped as something very cold, inhuman, and distant," Father Teller stated. "It's great to make that initial point of contact to break any barriers that might be there to be like, ‘The faith is something that is filled with joy, priests are men of God, and we are also humans.’ It undermines some preconceptions they have about the priesthood.”

“It was also a nice witness to the fraternal element of our order," Father Teller continued. "There were two of us on stage but they kept cutting to shots of Father Damian Marie Day, and the crowd would cheer. We are brothers, we preach as brothers.”

While some may view this event or their other content on social media as frivolous, Father Teller shared its importance. 

“In social media, you’re seeing 90 seconds of a priest's life and for us, for our music, it is something we do two weeks out of the year. The rest of the other 50 weeks we are doing traditional priestly ministry," he said.

"It is not something that is dominating our time. As a priest, you are ordained and conformed to Jesus Christ to stand in His place, to stand with Him as a mediator between Heaven and Earth, which you see in the Mass and sacraments. Then also, in order to foster, no priestly ministry can happen unless there's already a preexisting relationship with people," Father Teller continued.

"The way we use social media or music reinforces that bond with the earth side, with the people we are ministering to. It forms bonds of trust, credibility, and affection; to really open the heart to receive the Gospel of Jesus.”

Providence College is a Division I school, therefore, its students range from Catholic to non-Christian. Nevertheless, Father mentioned that it remains home to the most vibrant Catholic college community in New England.

Aside from offering three daily masses, daily confession, and a robust campus ministry, events like this uniquely bridge the gap between students, allowing everyone to witness the faith.