He says he lacks ambition, but with a new One Million Dollars album out and a solo album on the way, you've got to take frontman Richie Setford's claim with a grain of salt.

The singer-songwriter has forged a career in an industry flooded with wannabes, but concedes that being true to yourself is the harder road to take: "I will continue to be a songwriter until I die because that's what I do and I'll have successes and failures as I go ... getting wrapped up in the music industry won't help me ... to move forward and it won't help me to write better songs."He says he lacks ambition, but with a new One Million Dollars album out and a solo album on the way, you've got to take frontman Richie Setford's claim with a grain of salt.

The singer-songwriter has forged a career in an industry flooded with wannabes, but concedes that being true to yourself is the harder road to take: "I will continue to be a songwriter until I die because that's what I do and I'll have successes and failures as I go ... getting wrapped up in the music industry won't help me ... to move forward and it won't help me to write better songs."During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?
It used to be that I'd only sit down to write from about 11pm on, but that was when I had nothing to get up for. I work four days a week now, which means that every Wednesday I have the option to really focus on songwriting. It seems that an idea will come whenever it wants to and Wednesday is the day where I'll work it up and try to structure it. That's generally how it's been working lately. My cellphone has a recording device on it which is essential for me as I have a terrible memory.

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?
I can't really answer this myself, so I've approached Simon Woods from www.amplifier.co.nz. He says: "Multi-talented musician and songwriter who's not confined to any one set style, from the lo-fi singer/songwriter aesthetic of Bannerman to the big band funk stylings of One Million Dollars and BSM."

What aspect of your creative practice gives you the biggest thrill?
I really like building a song in the studio, spending a day working on different instruments and exploring riffs and melodies that layer and complement each other. An environment where I can throw any idea down, then pull back and shape and define it. I like trying to paint images or feelings through sound. Like how do I put across the idea of voodoo onto a record - that sort of thing.

How do you think your environment affects your work?
I always work in my room, but that's just so that I can concentrate on bringing the idea out with little distraction. I'm not sure if being confined affects the sort of song you write - I've written upbeat funk songs and heart broken country music working alone in my room. It's surely a state of mind. Everything going on outside that room, in some way at least, gets in. You carry what people say and what you see with you and just hope that you can catch hold of the ideas that filter through.

Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on the details?
For me, in songwriting, every tune is different and has a mind of its own. You've got to sit with it and listen to it and sooner or later you'll hear where it should go. Generally it's a bad song that I try to force in one particular direction. You have to be prepared to scrap a storyline and go somewhere else if it's not working, because honestly there are a million roads a song could go down and any one of them could be great. When are you satisfied, or when is a song finished? Anyway, I could be looking at the details or the big picture or in those special cases, revealing the big picture by exposing the detail. Anything goes. I think you're crazy to not be open to it all.

Describe the One Million Dollars live experience in three words.
Get on up!

One Million Dollars released their latest album, Stand Up To The Shakedown, in October this year. What was the biggest challenge for you when recording the album?
Playing it well. We played the whole thing live. What happened is that we rehearsed for about two months prior to going into the studio. We introduced a couple of new grooves, sorted out the tracklisting and then just refined the arrangements on a few songs. So come Saturday night, all we had to do was turn up and go for it. I'd planned for us to put down the set three times and just choose the best takes. Well, we played it through before everyone got there and it was dire, nothing useable. When our family and friends turned up we got it all, and thank baby Jesus too, 'cause we didn't have chops for a third run through. The last two albums had taken 14 months to complete, with long sessions of overdubs - this one only took 14 days. Technically it's not a live album in the traditional sense, but that's how we're looking at it. We only overdubbed a few bv's and keys, otherwise it's all one-takes on the night. The biggest thing for everyone was to let the mistakes go and to accept what we had put down in the moment. I was really trying to push that across to the band.

You're working on your debut solo release. How have you found not having nine other band members to bounce off?
I've finished it actually. The tracks just need mastering and I'll be releasing it early next year, probably in February. I started on Bannerman back in 2004 I think, just recording the songs at home in between jobs. I had 10 songs done in a year, so I've been sitting on it for a while. Only now have I found the time and motivation to think about a release. I've culled some songs and got them all remixed and even shot a video that's up on YouTube. I love not having the band around. The thing is, it's a different type of music, completely my vision and if the guys from One Million Dollars were involved in the creative process, well, it would just be something different again. It's a very personal style of music, and I'm going to be quite choosy about the people I get to help me perform it live.

What's your number one business tip for surviving (and thriving) in the creative industries?
Don't think too much about money. I will continue to be a songwriter until I die because that's what I do and I'll have successes and failures as I go. But getting wrapped up in the music industry won't help me personally to move forward and it won't help me to write better songs. At the moment I have the ability to record and release music to a worldwide audience and I'm happy with that, but then I'm not a terribly ambitious person. Essentially I think you have to do what's right for you and not what people tell you is right, that should help you stand out and keep your self respect, although it's the harder road. How passionate are you?

Which of your projects to date has given you the most satisfaction?
Definitely the Bannerman EP. I'm really proud of what I've produced, it's another step closer to working out who I am. I see One Million Dollars as a show band, playful and irreverent - although as I become more comfortable with myself, the music is getting grittier and more soulful - but Bannerman is the real stuff, it's me having no boundaries.

Who or what has inspired you recently?
John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath. I've just finished writing a song that came out of reading that book. I get a lot from books and films, especially.

If you could go back and choose a completely different career path to the one you've chosen, what would it be?
Wildlife cinematographer.

What place is always with you, wherever you go?
Probably the place I was born, Marton, in the Manawatu. I left there for Auckland when I was 11 but it's always cropping up in my dreams, so much so lately that I had to write a song about going back there to get married and work in forestry. I told you I wasn't ambitious.

What's the best way to listen to music, and why?
Alone, so that there are no distractions and you can completely engulf yourself in the sounds. Closing your eyes and letting your mind wander with the music is great. I don't make enough time in the week to sit down and actually listen, normally I'm always doing something. Like right now I'm listening to a Robert Johnson record, but I'm not really listening, I don't even know what he's saying, so that sucks. There's certainly a case to be made for listening to music while under the influence as well - I listened to The Enright House's CD at work, maybe three times, kind of liked it, had a few beers the following week after work, put it on and suddenly I got it. That's a good album though - when you work it out on the fourth listen.

You are given a piece of string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?
A bow and arrow and I use the fabric as a headband, Rambo-style.

What's the best stress relief advice you've ever been given?
I never remember advice, but soaking in hot water is always good.

What ingredients do you need for a good New Year's Eve?
This year it involves coming along to First Night Auckland 2008 at the Aotea Centre because One Million Dollars is performing there. It's a great place to be as it's a totally family-friendly and safe event - happens rain or shine. There's something for everyone, so I'm expecting to see all of you there!

What are you most looking forward to in 2008?
Working on the second Bannerman album - The Dusty Dream Hole.

18/12/07

One Million Dollars are welcoming the new year at First Night Auckland 2008 at the Aotea Centre - get on up!