You’re probably wondering whether to take us seriously or not. Thrift rock? Filene’s time machine?? That’s okay. Heck, we might even do the same if we were in your shoes. But here are five rock solid reasons you should have no fears and consider hiring us to amp up your next conference or meeting.

1. Credit unions + music = nothing you’ve ever seen
We’re not just another music duo. We are young and passionate credit union advocates who just happen to like music. We could, in theory, deliver a wonderful and straight-forward presentation on credit union history and philosophy. But let’s be serious: you and your staff have seen plenty of bullet points and slideshows. It’s time for a new approach, and that’s what we deliver. Our original songs will simultaneously have your audience learning about credit unions and waving their hands in the air like they just don’t care. It’s like Schoolhouse Rock, but for credit union history and philosophy.

2. Customized presentations – for you!
Although our songs remain the same, we take time to learn your credit union organization’s unique history and philosophy and incorporate that into our presentation. We aim to instill a sense of pride for working and belonging to credit unions and respect for what our movement stands for. Odds are your credit union was born about 70 years ago out of a back room or basement with a mission to put people before profit. Although many things have changed since then, that original philosophy lives on and that’s what our songs help your audience to realize.

3. We bring the thunder every. single. time.
The Disclosures have completely rocked performances at staff trainings, chapter events, league and vendor annual meetings and a CUNA conference with rave reviews. Ask us for references, we dare you. Despite our youthful appearances and light-hearted lyrics, we put in a lot of practice to ensure we meet the high standards you and your credit union deserve.

4. Fun for all ages.
Singing and performing for credit unions is a blast and we let that show during our performances. From directors to tellers, we work hard to make sure everyone is enjoying themselves. Maybe we’ll venture out into the audience or take requests (please, no “Freebird”). Whatever it takes, we’ll do everything in our power to leave your group energized and in good spirits.

5. Because the other credit unions bands are all booked up.
And by “all booked up”, we mean “don’t exist yet”. You want to energize your audience with a unique thrift rock experience they won’t forget? Let us at ‘em.

You can find more information about us, our booking information, and much more here on our website.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Christopher Morris & Chad Helminak
The Disclosures

Just posted!

Enjoy the following video from a show at Zuzu Cafe in Madison last September:

We were recently profiled in a segment on Madison’s CW’s “Buzzed into Madison” by Emmy Fink. Check it out!

What a great few weeks it’s been for The Disclosures.

It started with us playing the Beach Party for CSCU’s Annual Meeting in Disney World. We had a great time playing for attendees and got to listen to Aron Ralston’s inspiring keynote the next morning (Have you seen 127 Hours? That’s his story). Extra cool: Aron was at the Beach Party and when we met him the next morning, he said we reminded him of Tenacious D. Best. Compliment. Ever. We do strive to be the Tenacious D of the credit union world in our own small way.

We also got to hang out at Epcot Center the next day. We had a lot of fun (how can you not have fun seeing the glorious 3-D Michael Jackson science-fiction film/ride Captain EO?) and we got to meet many Disney characters. See our small photo album here.

Last week, we were in another vacation spot – the Wisconsin Dells – to emcee the Wisconsin CU League Annual Convention as well as do a very well attended breakout session on credit union history and philosophy. It was a great time all around. We introduced general session speakers with customized little jingles, played our own songs (including a rare, live version of “Don’t Change Interchange“), told bad jokes on stage, and met even more amazing and nice CU folks from around the state.

In essence, we loved playing our music and sharing the credit union love with others at these events.

Does your credit union organization have an event or staff meeting coming up? Check out our booking page to learn more about how we can rock out with you and your attendees/employees.

We just happened to have camcorders running when Chris dropped by The Wisconsin CU League office…

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May 4-7 in Wisconsin Dells.  You should come hang out with us! For more info on the Annual Convention, visit http://www.theleague.coop/convention

To celebrate National Credit Union Youth Week (April 17-23), The Disclosures – the Madison-based, credit union music duo – have released a new song called “Save!”, which encourages thrift and savings among young credit union members.

The song is free for credit unions to distribute and share with their members. The song and lyrics are available here:

Listen:

Download the mp3:

UPDATE: Download the song off of our album “The Secret to Being Rich” here

Lyrics:

Save! – Lyrics (PDF)

“When we heard that the theme for this year’s youth week was ‘Money Rocks at My Credit Union,’ it seemed like a natural fit for us to do something special,” said Disclosure band member Christopher Morris.

The message behind “Save!” is intended for a younger audience and takes a different approach from other tracks found on The Disclosures’ recently released album, “(Hey, We’re) The Disclosures”, which focus on themes such as credit union history and philosophy.

“We wanted to have some fun with the lyrics, especially the tongue-in-cheek chorus,” said Disclosure member Chad Helminak. “The fun part about savings isn’t putting your money away, but rather envisioning what your saving for and then reaching your goals.”

Please help us spread the word!

1. Like us on Facebook:

2. Share our site and song with others:

Missed our record release party last month? We just posted a live performance of the first track off our debut album “(Hey, We’re) The Disclosures” from our record release party at Brocach Irish Pub in Madison, Wisconsin on 3/9/11.

It was a great night and we were so glad so many of our friends and fans came out to support us.

Some notes on the video – Christopher’s daughter Caroline kicked off the night by introducing us and also, unbeknownst to the band during the performance, the Wisconsin GOP was slyly passing the controversial collective bargaining bill in the state Capitol (seen behind the band in the video). Hence all the flashing lights and crowds.

Last week, we got a nice email from an Isthmus writer wanting to interview us after seeing our record release announcement. We talked over coffee last weekend with the writer, Rich Albertoni, about the awesomeness of credit unions, music, our album and background. We couldn’t wait to see the story in print….

And yesterday, we did! We both opened up to page 18 and saw what you see above. Almost a full page about The Disclosures and credit unions.We both kind of freaked out a little.

> Click here to read the Isthmus article online

Mr. Albertoni did a great job. And we are so happy that local folks here in Madison will get a little exposure to credit unions in the music section of their favorite alt-weekly for the next week. If you are one of those people and want to learn more about credit unions, visit aSmarterChoice.org for more information. Then join a credit union already!

We’ve got a lot of nice attention in the credit union press recently, which is great, but being able to be out in front of non-credit union people is a dream. That’s why we do this – to spread the word about credit unions and educate folks about how amazing they are in a new way.

Music combines acoustic rock with credit union and cooperative-themed lyrics

Madison, Wis. —  Dubbing a new genre of music called “thrift rock”, two Madison-based musicians called The Disclosures have created an album featuring songs and lyrics that deal with credit union history, financial education and cooperative structure.

The album, titled “(Hey, We’re) The Disclosures”, was released today and is the band’s first attempt at combining their musical abilities with their passion for democratically-controlled, not-for-profit credit unions.

“Credit unions have long been thought of as a best-kept secret in the financial industry,” said Disclosure band member Christopher Morris. “We wanted to spread that ‘secret’ in our own unique way and help people gain a better understanding of what credit unions are and how they differ from other institutions.”

The all-acoustic album is comprised of seven songs written and recorded by Morris and Chad Helminak, who both work in the credit union movement, but completed their songwriting project outside of normal business hours.

“We focused on making quality rock songs first and foremost, while still delivering on that message of thrift and cooperativeness,” noted Helminak. “We had a blast writing and recording our songs and hope that comes through on our album and live performances.”

In addition to the album, The Disclosures have scheduled a number of upcoming performances at credit union events, including an education break-out sessions on credit union history and philosophy – infused, of course, with their original songs.

The album is currently available for download on major digital music stores such as iTunes, Amazon.com and others. Physical copies of the CD are available online through the The Disclosures’ website, as well as speaker and live performance information.

The concept for the album was borne out of the success of their first credit union-themed song, “Movin’ on with my Money,” recorded for the Young & Free “Looking like a fool with your money in a bank” music video contest. Their music video came in third place in the contest, receiving thousands of views on YouTube and attention from almost every major credit union publication including the Huffington Post’s “Move Your Money” campaign. In October of 2010, the band released their first single from the album, “The Ballad of Friedrich Raiffeisen,” for International Credit Union Day.

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About the band: The Disclosures are an all-acoustic, “thrift-rock” music duo consisting of Chad Helminak and Christopher Morris. They are young and passionate credit union advocates who, by day, work at jobs within the credit union movement, but when the five o’clock whistle blows, they use their music and songwriting talents to write original songs about credit union history, philosophy and advocacy.

Their music has been featured on the websites of credit unions, trade groups and consumer awareness sites, such as the Huffington Post’s “Move Your Money” website. Their first album of original credit union songs, “(Hey, We’re) The Disclosures,” was released in March of 2011.

Come celebrate the release of the first “thrift-rock” album in history!

This is your chance to meet The Disclosures – an all-acoustic, credit union-themed, music duo – and purchase first print, autographed copies of their new album, titled “(Hey, We’re) The Disclosures!”

Live performance at 7:00 and all ages are welcome! Cash bar will be available.

Details:

Wednesday, March 9 · 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Brocach Irish Pub (2nd Floor)
7 West Main Street
Madison, WI

RSVP on Facebook & hope to see you there!