The music that inspires me is all across the board. My earliest influence was probably the folk music that I heard in the 1960s when I was growing up. Then later, bands like the Beatles, The Who and Pink Floyd really drew me in. Dan Fogelberg's work in the late 1970s and early 1980s impressed me with the imagery potential of lyrics and their power to communicate emotion.

As for today, there are so many excellent artists out there. I tend to focus on one for a while and then latch on to the next. Right now I'm spending a lot of time listening to David Gray and Rufus Wainright.

Why do you think people relate so well to your lyrics?

First of all, there are several ways to go about writing lyrics. One way is to right down the first words that come into your head and analyze their meaning later. Another way is to conjure obscure references to a particular subject, leaving the listener to draw his/her own interpretation. While I have used these techniques to some degree as creative tools for developing lyrics, I tend to favor an approach to lyrics that is less oblique.

In my lyrics, I try to tell a story that is presented in an understandable way - hopefully conveying a unique view of a common human experience. If I write some lyrics and the listener says, "What in the world is that song about?" I haven't effectively communicated the story. So as I go about crafting my lyrics, I strive to have the listener think, "I've been through that experience before but never really looked at it in quite that way." This can be a difficult approach to lyric writing, as it requires you to live life and observe it closely at the same time.

On the other hand, in attempting to be straightforward, you've got to stay clear of oversimplification and cliché - especially when dealing with the subject of relationships. So in all, I guess it's this straightforward story approach that people have responded positively to.

Your new single release, "Brothers, Here Today," sends a powerful message about how Americans have united following the events of 9/11. Visitors to your site can download the release for free. What are your thoughts on the song and what are some of the e-mail comments you have received?

The whole 9/11 thing was immensely powerful on an emotional level - and as a writer I felt the need to document my take on the event. While the context of "Brothers, Here Today" is the terrorist attacks - the primary message is that of our ability to rise above the petty differences and come together.

Here's the thing - for a period of time there, we were able to look past the status quo and get on the same page. For a time, many people were even motivated to be polite to other drivers in traffic. That to me is amazing. So, if we could do that in the face of terrorism - why can't we do it all the time? I guess the core purpose of the song was my desire to document a very special period when the best in people came to the surface.

As for response to this song, it's tends to reaffirm your belief in humanity when you see how many share this kind of dream for the world. In the end, I know it's only a song, but if it makes one person feel something positive, who knows where that influence can go.

It's been a long time since I wanted to be a full-time recording artist. Early on I concluded that the touring to promote record sales and drive radio airplay was not for me. I just wanted to produce music. Also, when you signup to be part of the record industry, you make a serious commitment to produce a product that will sell. It is, after all, a business.

Like I said, I just wanted to produce music - without the constraints of the business responsibilities. So, for quite a few years now, I have been producing music and other creative work, including photography and essays. But making these materials available to people on any significant scale proved to be a daunting task, that frankly, I just didn't have the time to do effectively. Ah, but now we have the Internet. The ability to post images and songs at one location solves the distribution problems. And the prospect of having these works available on a global scale is very cool!

How has the Internet changed the way musical artists can get their music to the general public?

In essence, the whole structure of creating and distributing music has changed, and it's very exciting. In the past, producing professional quality music and making it available on a wide scale required the sizable resources of the record industry. But, two major evolutions have changed this scenario.

First is the computer technology. With a minimal investment, an artist has the ability to produce high quality music and release it on CD. Next, obviously, is the Internet, which has made the world a much smaller, more accessible place. Because of this, we now have an entirely new way to access our entertainment. As for music, a lot changed with Napster, as it allowed you go online and download almost any popular song. Unfortunately, they overlooked those pesky legal details. But still, people are now acclimated to going to the Internet for music.

Like I said before, in the past, an artist had no way of shouldering the expense of recording a professional album and distributing it globally. Now you can literally do this from a home-based computer. This is an amazing paradigm shift - one that the record industry is dreading. As time goes on, I'm very confident that you'll see more artists doing what I've done and self produce and publish on their own.

Can you tell us any details about your upcoming CD "523"?

My Mom once said something profound to me. She said that what you trade for the loss of youth is the knowledge that you gain with age. In my early days, there were a lot of demons that I had to work past as I got acclimated to the process of life - learning that things most often don't turn out the way you envision. I wrote a great deal of material on these subjects. But having survived that phase, I'm now in a good place. The process of living life makes more and more sense these days.

The idea that keeps driving the new songs is looking around at life with a sense of hope - like "Hey everyone - hang in there." So the new songs are these positive statements about living life to it's fullest. Shortly before my father died of cancer in 1998, he commented to me on how quickly it had seemed that his life had gone by. I guess I drew from this experience the understanding that life is right now and you've got to make the most of it. This is the outlook that is influencing my life now, and this outlook is reflected in the music that I'm producing. So in all, the music for "523" is about embracing life and making most of the energy that we've all been given.

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Scott Newton