Additional Information
Photo: Jocelyn Boulais
PAN M 360: What made you want to record a concert?
Hugo Lachance: We wanted to show our presence on social media. Initially, the goal was to record a song to put on YouTube, just to offer a performance during the pandemic. Eventually, the situation evolved and the project grew to become a one-hour show in two parts.
PAN M 360: I liked it, the editing of the images makes your performances dynamic. I have a hard time watching a TV show for 45 minutes, and I wasn’t bored!
HL: That’s the fun you’re talking about, because it was really a goal. In doing this project, I decided to use my skills as an editor and director to offer something different, even if it’s not live. The goal was to use the advantages of editing to make a slightly different show, one that offers a diversity of images. It also allowed us to integrate small interviews. I didn’t want to fall into the music video or the documentary. When the opportunity to make a video came up, we decided not to just do a one-song project. So, yes, it was important for us to offer different and diverse content, to make the show work better.
PAN M 360: It reflects the personality of WD-40.
HL: Ah, that was important! The world of Alex [Jones, bass, vocals, lyrics] had to rub off on the project. It’s fun because in 6” 1, you can see everyone’s universe. Alex’s world is always very colourful, with spots of light, and smoke. We get a little bit into our personal lives.
PAN M 360: Is “Route 170” the song you wanted to put on YouTube?
HL: During the project, I suggested to Alex and Étienne [“Jean-Loup” Lebrun, guitarist] that they do a solo song, and I told Alex that it would be cool to have a new one. Since we couldn’t rehearse and come up with something very elaborate, Alex came up with an idea that had been on his mind for a long time: to do a cover of “Route 66” by Depeche Mode, but adapted to suit WD-40. He sent me what he’d recorded, I added the drums and then the guys [Étienne and Pat Mainville, guitarist] added the guitars. “Route 170” isn’t a new official song that will end up on an album, it’s the little treat we managed to cook up during the pandemic. It sounds silly, but it’s a complex project and it wouldn’t have been possible if the guys hadn’t participated 100%.
PAN M 360: What was the hardest part to do, the part where you’re each at home, or the recording of the concert at Musicopratik? In the second case, you had to comply with the many guidelines of COVID-19.
HL: These are two completely different worlds. With 6″ 1, it was easier to have some control, because we had given ourselves a way of doing it: everyone filmed themselves with their iPhone. On the other hand, 6″ 2 was like a roll of the dice. It took a lot of organization. We stood crosswise in front of each other, we brought all the phones we had at home to film. For example, I filmed Alex with my iPhone, he filmed me with his iPad, Étienne filmed Pat and Pat filmed Jean-Loup. We put several other cameras in the corners, I even used an old VHS camera I had! Jocelyn Boulais was also there, filming with a camera on her shoulder. Alex, Étienne, and I were in charge of the cameras and Pat was responsible for the sound. Alex was also responsible for the lighting. We had to adapt on location.
PAN M 360: where was the song “Te souviens-tu Jean-Loup?” on 6” 1 shot ?
HL: In the yard at Alex’s house. He lives in Saint-Hubert and he has a big yard with chickens. Knowing him, I knew he’d like the idea. As for Pat, he’s at home, on his balcony, to add the guitar tracks. All this allows us to see the band from a more intimate angle.
PAN M 360: There are some songs in there that you haven’t played in a long time.
HL: Yes, we mostly do our own classics, but we’ve taken the liberty of revisiting songs we rarely do live on stage, like “Je veux vivre dans la forêt”, “Te souviens-tu Jean-Loup?” and “Ton corps qui brûle”.
PAN M 360: Your last album, La nuit juste après le déluge… dates from 2017, can we expect a new record?
HL: What’s coming up for WD-40 is a solo album by Étienne. The pandemic allowed him to move things forward. For WD-40, the fact that we got together to do 6″ allowed us to see that we were getting bored, and it gave us a new taste for working together because we’re able to do it and we like it. I’m not announcing anything, but maybe there will be something new for the band.
