Full of Life John Gregorius

• 1The Expansive Sky05:45
• 2Unfolding Beauty05:08
• 3Full of Life05:49
• 4Path of Renewal05:22
• 5Blanket of Stars04:51
• 6Winds of Change05:21
• 7Wellspring04:28
• 8Early Reflection05:01
• 9Monsoon Clearing04:49
• 10Painted Vistas03:19
• 11Catalina04:15
• 12Rincon Fading Light04:00
• Total Runtime58:08

Info for Full of Life

Full Of Life, the third album on the Spotted Peccary label from composer and guitarist John Gregorius, is a free flowing, sincere set of compositions brought to life by the time-honored ensemble of guitar, bass, and drums, all richly augmented by synth ambiences, electronic beats, and ambient guitar atmospheres. Moody and elegant, the album’s melodic passages and tonal textures guide the listener on a delightful discovery of painted vistas and unfolding beauty.

Imbued with a sense of freedom, the music on Full Of Life remains unified and cohesive while at the same time not confined to the boundaries of one sound as it moves effortlessly through styles ranging from ambient to melodic to post rock. Uninhibited and natural, the ten guitar-centric tracks feel honest and pure with an emotional blend of electric and acoustic guitars, bass, keyboards, and percussion. Tensions build and release creating a sense of drama as the music eases through moments of lush orchestration, gentle melodies, mysterious ambiences, and memorable cinematic peaks. Echoes of Gregorius’ earlier works are prevalent, and on Full Of Life he successfully weaves his love of acoustic fingerstyle guitar, ambient electric guitar, thoughtful orchestrated leads, and in-the-pocket rhythmic grooves into a free and easy blend of music that is both accessible and meaningful.

Full Of Life represents a natural progression and growth for John Gregorius. A change of scenery resulted in a shift of inspiration and a renewal of his creative energy when, after finishing his last album (2016’s Still Voice), John pulled up stakes from Southern California and relocated inland to the Sonoran Desert of Tucson, Arizona. Surrounded by majestic saguaro cactus, mesquite brush, and palo verde trees, Gregorius instantly felt at home immersed in the mountainous desert landscape. “I have found the desert to be a deeply spiritual place” Gregorius explains. “The solitude, openness, resilience, mystery and life in spite of the sometimes harsh and difficult landscape, leads one to contemplation of a bigger meaning and understanding our true selves. This meditation of creation and Creator is the unifying color and design of this recording. My hope is that it brings a sense of being awake and alive…Full of Life.”

While, for Gregorius, Full Of Life embodies the deep spirit of renewal brought about by his new life in the Sonoran desert, the simple beauty realized in the album’s wide open sonic vistas and captivating spaces lifts all listeners to a place of joy and wonder as the music flows through each mood and moment like vital water through a desert arroyo; fluid, graceful, inviting, and refreshing.

John Gregorius

John Gregorius
After a season of producing, arranging and performing with various local bands and artists, a deep desire grew to create my own music. I’ve always had a love for ambient or contemplative music, so it felt natural to make my first recording called Under the Ice. From this, I discovered my music created a space for people to live, travel, pray or even sleep with. Under the Ice was followed by Heaven and Earth, which was picked up by Spotted Peccary Music. Heaven and Earth has been played throughout the United States by the Echoes radio station, which is syndicated through public radio. Eventually, Heaven and Earth was voted number 62 out of the top 200 CDs for the last 20 years of Echoes. After this I recorded an independent release called Hours with John Wineglass on Viola at Saint John’s Episcopal Church. My interest in the contemplative spiritual life influenced the titles of the pieces to be based on the hours of monastic prayer. Capturing those songs live in that beautiful church was an amazing experience. Now, I look to my next Spotted Peccary release called Still Voice. This recording features electric and acoustic ambient guitar with piano, cello, upright bass, drums, programming and vocals. Yet, with all of these elements, there remains a sense of minimalism and mystery. The music I create is part of a larger spiritual quest. I'm learning that being still and listening is important beyond measure and my hope is that my music will facilitate a deeper and more real experience of what it is to be awake and alive. Ultimately, if one sees a glimpse of the source of beauty and love from the music then I am greatly blessed.

This album contains no booklet.