Musician John Floridis’ concerts focus on transition from darkness to light

Montana musician John Floridis is hitting the road in December to play shows for the benefit of local nonprofits. 

He’ll showcase his two wintertime-themed albums “December’s Quiet Joy” and “The Peaceful Season” which include some spins on holiday classics, such as “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” that Floridis hopes will cut through the noise of a busy season for many.

Floridis has been playing music in Montana for decades and is the host and producer of Montana Public Radio’s “Musician’s Spotlight.” 

He said it would be too broad to call these benefit concerts Christmas-themed — though there are plenty of holiday tunes. The singer-songwriter spends his time singing about the transition from darkness into light during the shows. 

“Whether it's spiritual or emotional or literal, you know the solstice, which carries all those things along with it as well. Those songs, whether they're songs of mine or songs by other artists, have something of that quality to them,” Floridis said.  

The benefit concerts have raised more than $100,000 for nonprofits across the state over the last decade, according to the artist. Funds have gone toward programs that help people experiencing homelessness, treatment programs for severely troubled youth and aid to refugees from war-torn areas around the world. 

Floridis will also perform at the Daily Inter Lake on Dec. 1 for the newspaper’s monthly Press Play lunchtime concert series. 

CHRISTMAS HAS always been a special time of year for the Floridis family and the musician said he’s always been drawn to the traditional melodies that accompany the season. But, his creative drive comes from putting a spin on these classics, in a way that leaves them recognizable for the listener, but feeling a little more like his own. 

The holiday season can be overwhelming for many and Floridis wanted to find a way to give people a chance to tune out and relax with “December’s Quiet Joy” and “The Peaceful Season.” 

“You're watching TV and the bombardment of commercials. Earlier and earlier they're starting to put up Christmas decorations in some stores. And that can bring a lot of stress to people. So, I think a big part of putting those albums together was to give folks something they can put on just to nap and tune out all that noise,” Floridis said. 

Floridis also weaves in songs with vocals, though both of his wintertime albums showcase his classical acoustic guitar playing. It’s a way to celebrate the changes that come with wintertime in Montana, where everything sort of slows down. He says there’s something about winter that draws him toward slower, more mellow music. 

“I’m not as inclined to play songs in my repertoire that are more rocking, as much as a middle-aged guy can rock out with an acoustic guitar, which the rest of the year I try to do,” Floridis laughed. “I tend to be drawn to performances where I'm not doing that in December, where I'm slowing down a little bit and being a little more reflective, I guess. But in a healthy way, too.” 

Floridis is no stranger to reflection. As the host of “Musician’s Spotlight,” he has interviewed B.B. King, Alison Krauss and Lyle Lovett, among other big names in music. He also talks with local musicians like Mike Murray, John Dunnigan and Erica von Kleist. 

He took the concept and ran with it for a Montana PBS show “Live From Home,” where during the start of the pandemic he interviewed musicians across the state. 

“Everyone's got an interesting story to me, so my job is to convey that story to people,” Floridis said. 

ALSO A music therapist, Floridis moved to Missoula in 1993 with his wife, deciding to focus on a different sound when he arrived in the Big Sky state. Growing up in Ohio, Floridis was drawn to guitar because his father played it. The first electric guitar he received at age 10 was able to be plugged into a Zenith stereo console, with Floridis slowly learning to play along to his favorite albums at the time, like the Rolling Stones. 

He eventually started playing classical guitar, then went back to electric after graduating college when he played in a few different bands. When he came to Montana, he had a vision of developing an act around a steel string guitar. He knew he’d get more work if he could sing, so he started billing himself as a singer-songwriter and performing in his new home.

 Now, Floridis is a seasoned recording artist with 10 albums under his belt. His most recent album “Thankful” is a “little more rock.” The seven-track project includes Floridis on electric and acoustic guitars, vocals and mandolin. His partner Jennifer Slayden is featured on the album playing cello. 

He said the lyrical content was inspired by middle age, the subtitle called “Songs of a Certain Age.”

“They're reflections of life and things that were happening to me in the last 15 years or so. Those things are gonna be different from what I was writing about in my 20s and 30s — in some ways and in some ways not,” Floridis said. 

He’s already been back in the studio working on new recordings, working on a couple of projects that bring him back to his singer-songwriter sound — just Floridis and his guitar. The songs will be released on Bandcamp and are “more autumnal in flavor.” 

“So maybe at some point, I’ll have all the different seasons covered with recordings,” Floridis said. 

Flordis performs on Dec. 1 for the Daily Inter Lake’s Press Play concert series. The concert begins at noon and tickets are available by donating to the newspaper’s Newspapers in Education initiative. Concertgoers can bring their lunch or purchase one of three lunch options from The House of S&M.

Tickets and lunch are available at https://flatheadtickets.com/ or by calling 406-758-4436.

Floridis then plays two benefit shows in the Flathead Valley.

On Dec. 2, Floridis and Slayden will be raising money for the Flathead Youth Home at Bias Brewing, from 6 to 8 p.m. Followed by a benefit for the Samaritan House on Dec. 3 at the Whitefish United Methodist Church, beginning at 4 p.m. 

Floridis and Slayden then head to East Glacier on Dec. 4 to perform at the East Glacier Community Center, starting at 7 p.m.  

See a full list of upcoming shows at johnfloridis.com.

Watch and Listen to all our Press Play concerts on our You Tube Channel or on your favorite podcast app.

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4433 or by emailing tinman@dailyinterlake.com.