Waffle house

September begins with an explosion of pop-garage sweetness down at Popes Lane (I idly wonder if there's any connection with my neighbours in Pope House). The lane's inhabitants were having their Labour Day shindig, replete with inflatable castle, champagne and live entertainment from Ottawa's pancakinest duo, Shanker and Romps.

Merchandising action!



That garage in full!



Duo rocking action!






Romps up close!



Patrick Shanks, not so close!



Singing and drumbing action!



What do you mean, you don't know "You Ain't Nothin' But a Houndog?"



More Romps!



And so on! Note the demise of the banner ... now the band is just Romps.



Then Romps' brother Nathan rolled up on his cruiser and distracted everyone.



One last singalong action shot!



Then I went off to do all the stuff I didn't do because I was on vacation for much of the previous two weeks. They have a show at Irene's on Nov. 7 with Garaga and The Stolen Minks, and another the following day with Canada's first lady of the ukulele, Krista Muir and Milie Croche.

• Show reminder: Hmm, will Shanker and Romps go and see Young Rival, The Bicycles and The Balconies at Zaphod Beeblebrox tonight? I bet they will! Old Reliable guy Shuyler Jansen and Luther Wright and The Wrongs play the Elmdale House Tavern.

In our garage

About a year ago, while attending a Labour Day baseball game, Rebecca "Romps" Comeau and Patrick "Shanker" Shanks decided to form a band, in a striking coincidence, they played a Labour Day party down on Popes Lane (near Browns Inlet in the Glebe). I didn't have a camera for their first-ever show at Irene's, but at least I was packing for their first anniversary gig. My usual photographic environs is a club with insufficient light, so an actual garage at 3 p.m. was a nice change, with only minor grief due to the contrast between sun and shade. Shanker and Romps had a tie-die background for their set, along with a Romps-made sign that fluttered to the ground due to insufficient duct tape. You have to imagine that while S&R are playing there's a bunch of kids bouncing up and down in an inflated castle while a curly-haired dog chips in the occasional howl.


Shanker and Romps, Popes Lane, September 1, 2008

I stuck around for a bunch of bouncy rock, but had to split to prepare myself for my belated return to work tomorrow.

• Show reminder: The Crash Engine play at The Rainbow. Josh Gabriel plays the Avant-Garde.