Is the Free Credit Report Band Legit?

By Jim Shearer on 03/09/2009

This weekend, after watching one of those FreeCreditReport.com commercials for, what felt like, the one-millionth time, I finally decided to do some investigative work. I know this topic has already been broached on several internet news and blog sites, but because many of my friends and family continually ask me about this particular series of commercials, I felt the need to do some research of my own. The question I get asked the most is: Is that a real band playing in the commercials?

That was actually my first question when the campaign began airing in October 2007. The three-piece band, singing about credit woes while playing a blend of indie-pop mixed with hip-hop slang, seemed to be authentic. I mean, c'mon, indie bands have been lending their songs to commercials for years. I figured it was only a matter of time before a group took it a step further by performing original jingles, to not only advertise a company's product, but to promote their music as well.

In 2005, when Nerf Herder's, Parry Gripp's music was turned down for a frozen waffle ad, he said he enjoyed the process so much that he wrote an entire album's worth of jingles--For Those About To Shop, We Salute You--which featured 51 tracks in all. (Gripp followed it up in 2008 with Do You Like Waffles?.) If Gripp got so much joy out of making commercial music (literally), who's to say another band couldn't?

Before the incessant FreeCreditReport.com commericals made me want to bash my head off a brick wall, I thought the first couple of spots were kind of catchy (reminded me of a young band you'd see at a local college bar). When the commercials kept coming, featuring the same three band members, I thought there was a good chance of the group being real. With record labels tanking quicker than you can say "free credit," maybe this was the new way to get your band's name out to the public?

As it turns out though, the Free Credit Report Band (as they're known on the their website) is not an actual group. The songs were written by Dave Mulhefeld, Senior Copy Editor at the Martin Agency, who is also responsible for the Geico gecko and caveman ads.

The frontman of the pseudo group is French actor, Eric Violette. Even though Violette is mouthing the words to the jingles, he does have a musical background--although after revisiting some of these ads, his guitar strumming is a little suspect.

Alright, now to find out if Subway's $5 Footlong Band is legit.

(below: This is when the Free Credit Report Band got too big for their college-rock roots and went full-on, mainstream hip-hop on us.)