This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply. Today is a great day to get reacquainted with singer/songwriter Gary Marks, who is releasing his latest single from his upcoming LP of Crossroads called “Crossbeams.” “Choose your memories very carefully, they’re the crossbeams of the world you’re living in,” Marks says of the track. “They frame and form who you’re bound to be.” With this guidance in mind, Marks has made a song worthy of the legacy he has crafted for himself. If you’re enjoying the new track, please consider streaming Crossroads or picking up the vinyl via Lantern Heights Records this Record Store Day (April 18th). What’s the inspiration behind “Crossbeams”? I’ve always had this idea that we create our memories as much as past events do. In other words, there is this second by second choice of not only what we focus on, but how we define what we’re focused on. So that idea inspired the first verse, “Choose your memories very carefully, they’re the crossbeams of the world you’re living in, they frame and form who you’re bound to be.” Then, I wondered if it might be better to choose our memories from a mindset of openness or freedom. The second verse was inspired by that thought, “I choose daydreams over conclusions, I’m not at war with any place I’ve been, each day that’s born is like a skeleton key.” Then I just improvised the rest of the lyrics from there. Musically, I was inspired by exploring an open tuning on guitar. And finger-picking a particular melodic line I kept hearing in my head. The sound seemed open and light, but also haunting at the same time. From there, the music inspired the lyrics. During your career, you eventually made the decision to stop touring, but continue to focus on writing songs. What was the driving force behind that choice? I didn’t like touring, because as a writer I personally didn’t find it fulfilling singing the same songs night after night. I even felt guilty wasting the talents of my band members playing basically the same thing over and over. When I go into the studio with a song I go in thinking I am going to make this song sound exactly the way it should. But then, once that process is done, why not just play the recording if you want to keep hearing it that way? Some artists are genuine performers. They get inspired by a live audience, and the drama, of performing. I love making the song perfect in the recording studio and then letting it go. There is no right or wrong way to approach it, I just felt more comfortable and authentic not having to play my songs a hundred times. I also felt it benefited me writing from the standpoint of living a normal life, and not trying to write songs on the road, about the road, impatiently waiting to get off the road! There are some unreleased songs on Crossroads that date back to 1976, that are finally seeing the light of day. What made you decide that these tracks were ready to be shared? I always thought these tracks were ready, and I wanted to share them, I just couldn’t find a record company willing to distribute my songs if I wasn’t going to tour and develop a larger fan-base for them, or us. The tracks from the 70s were from my first three albums, and they were distributed internationally and reissued several times. But the nine songs from 1980 to the present have never been heard by the general public. After Lantern Heights Records reissued my first album, Gathering, in 2025, we discussed a follow-up album, and came up with the idea of making a record with socio-political lyrics. Lantern Heights didn’t expect me to tour. They wanted to do the project anyway. So I went back into my catalogue and found 24 songs that fit the socio-political concept, and together we picked 14 of them, because that was as many songs as we could fit on two sides of vinyl without affecting the sonic quality. It was very fulfilling to have Record Store Day select this album, Crossroads, especially because of the theme and message behind it. Maybe that’s even partially why they selected it. I’m very happy with the way this album came out, what it’s saying, and how it sounds. more Not all embedded content is displayed here. You can view the original to see embedded videos and other embedded content.