The newest viral video on YouTube isn’t a dog mouthing along to a voice-over, or a preteen with a proclivity for singing about the weekdays; it’s of two diehard N.C . State fans singing about their love for the University and their less-than-kind feelings toward UNC-Chapel Hill.
The rivalry between Chapel Hill and N.C . State goes back ages and, like most school rivalries, is a subject that spans the Triangle.
Greg Tart graduated from Appalachian State, Rob Hall started his college career at NCSU but ended up finishing at ECU, and his older brother Marcus also completed his undergraduate degree at the University. However, their blood bleeds red, with fathers that played football for the Pack and childhoods spent in Raleigh.
In 2010, the Hall brothers and Tart formed their band, Old Man Whickutt , named after an old childhood book. The Hall brothers were playing at a Christmas party when Tart came in with his snare drum. An old friend of Marcus, Tart fit right in.
“[Tart] is hilarious,” Rob Hall said. “He’s our PR guru, he really gets our name out there.”
Prior to Tart, the band consisted of only the two brothers.
“There are really two key dates [in the bands formation],” Rob Hall said. “In 1997, my older brother Marcus and I went on a cross country trip with parents in our Winnebago. Five weeks, and 10,000 miles, and we played guitar every night.”
In 2007, the brothers went on a kayaking trip and “connected spiritually,” bringing the brothers, and the band, to a whole new level.
The band’s style focuses mostly on bluegrass and folk music with a little bit of Americana. However, the most important still remains to be the comedy.
“When Jesus comes back, I know he will save every city but Chapel Hill,” Old Man Whickutt sang in their viral song.
According to the band, six weeks ago, Rob went to Charlotte on a business trip and stayed with Marcus. One night, he grabbed his brother’s banjo and started singing the chorus of the song that would become When Jesus Comes Back.
“When Jesus comes back, when Jesus comes back, you’ll be in good shape if you root for the Pack.”
“The song was born right there,” Hall said. “We wrote the rest of the song in less than two hours, recorded it on an iPad, and the rest is history.”
The video was sent to Tart via YouTube as a joke, but its popularity rose quickly. The video currently has a little over 58,000 views, increasing daily.
The song became so popular that Old Man Whickutt was asked to sing at the University’s 125th Anniversary Celebration.
“It was fantastic,” Tart said. “I turned to the guys and said ‘guys, I can die and go to Heaven now, we just played Reynolds Coliseum.'”
Nearly 5,000 students were in attendance and, thanks to YouTube, even those who didn’t go have heard the song and love it.
“My boyfriend showed [the song] to me quite a while ago, and he got it from his dad,” Kim Schrieber , junior in animal science, said. “It’s hysterical!”
As for the Tar Heels who have heard the song, the response has been pretty positive.
“[Tar Heel fans] are laughing along with it,” Tart said. “They’re like, ‘that’s so wrong, but it’s hilarious'”
Tart says that Tar Heel fans know the song is completely tongue and cheek.
“We don’t actually think Christ won’t accept Tar Heel fans into Heaven,” Tart said.
Some students are talking about the song becoming a staple at the University, comparable to the Fight Song.
“It’ll certainly be referenced,” Schreiber said. “It’ll have its niche.”
“When Jesus Comes Back” is currently available on iTunes for purchase, and, according to Hall, the band has bright hopes for the future.
“We dream that one day the song will play over the loud speakers at Carter Finley before State and UNC games,” Hall said.