William Fitzsimmons - Ready The Astronaut - Clear

The appeal of William Fitzsimmons’ sound is indicative of his unique upbringing and consequent life experience. Born to two blind parents, Fitzsimmons grew up in a home where sound - particularly music - was integral to communication. His parents had an assortment of guitars, pianos and other instruments, and introduced young William to the music of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, among others. For many years, armed with a Master’s degree in counseling, he worked as a mental health therapist, and only began recording his songs during graduate school breaks. Over the course of his career, Fitzsimmons has made his living writing a specific brand of honest and inward-looking folk songs that fearlessly and candidly examine the evolving self while dexterously communicating his talent for robust melodies and catchy instrumentation.

Now, set to release Ready the Astronaut (out June 25 via Nettwerk Records) as a powerful testament to his own past, Fitzsimmons weaves his story through the familiar tale of Icarus to illustrate his willingness to accept his life’s highs and lows by paying tribute to the influence they have on the future. Fitzsimmons’ earlier full-length, Lions (produced by Chris Walla/Death Cab For Cutie), debuted at #2 on the Top New Artist Albums’ chart, as well as Top 5 on the Folk Albums chart. Fitzsimmons’ music has also been licensed to a wide variety of networks including ABC, NBC, MTV, Lifetime and CW and he has been featured in Billboard, NPR, Rolling Stone, Paste, Spin, NYLON Guys, Musikexpress, Uncut, Q Magazine and American Songwriter Magazine.

• Song Premiere with American Songwriter - “If I Fell Back To The Earth”
• Confirmed week of May 10: The Bluegrass Situation features William Fitzsimmon’s Live Stream concert
• Past supporters include Billboard, NPR, Rolling Stone, Wall Street Journal, Paste, Spin, Uncut, Q Magazine and American Songwriter.