As the duo had performed separately
but never together—let alone busked— the
TTC license enabled them to monetize their
practice time, as they spent countless hours
playing in the high-traffic subway stations.
“I get paid to practise, and that’s the only
way to get good,” said Captain Cowboy, “I like
busking—it’s the most blue collar way to make
money as a musician. You just go and drop your
case, like punching your clock in at work.”
With vaudevillian costumes and theatrics,
Captain Cowboy and the Money Maker soon
became a favourite for Toronto commuters.
“Part of the reason why we’re so successful
is that we don’t take ourselves too seriously,”
Captain Cowboy mused. With Money
Maker holstering a homemade banjo and
donning bottle cap tipped gloves to play her
washboard--laden with bells and whistles,
and Captain Cowboy armed with his metallic
guitar and tambourine tap shoes, the duo
brings a captivating performance and unique
sound to the grey washed streets and stations
of the city.
“There’s always been a nod and a wink to
everything that we’re doing,” shared Captain
Cowboy as he described their zany stage
presence, “We’re in ‘show business’,” he added
with facetious hand gestures, “There’s always
‘jazz hands’ to everything that we’re doing.”
Besides their musical versatility and skill,
Captain Cowboy and the Money Maker
transcend the white noise of the city with
their charismatic performance. “I make sure
that our costuming and presentation are top
notch every time,” said Money Maker, who
recognized whimsical wardrobes assist in
drawing an audience.
When asked how integrated the characters
of “Captain Cowboy” and “Money Maker” are
with their off-stage identities, Money Maker
described, “Captain Cowboy and Money Maker
are very much us, as real people in our true
from—evolved from people in square jobs, to
glitter covered weirdos on the sidewalk.”
“We take being silly very seriously,” added
Captain Cowboy, who chose his name simply
for its “stupidity.” “I just thought of two male
power-archetypes, captain and cowboy, and
mixed those.”
While Captain Cowboy’s character is a
cheeky nod to projections of exaggerated
masculinity, Money Maker’s character received
her moniker by accident. While developing
their act, the pair thought, “Ukulele songs
are cute, but the washboard will be our
money maker!” Writing “money maker” on
her first washboard with a huge dollar sign,
encouraging people to drop change for their
performance, Money Maker made a name for
herself among the busking community of the
subway lines.
As to further fuel their vaudevillian
presentation, their routine also includes sporadic
bits, or “wrinkles” as Captain Cowboy refers to
them, that interrupt the songs and add texture.
“We’re hesitant to record anything, because our
sound is in the live act, and it’s entirely based on
having an audience in front of us that we can
work off of,” explained Money Maker.
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inspadesmag.com