William Fitzsimmons (musician)

William Fitzsimmons
Background information
Origin	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U. S.
Genres	Folk, folk rock, electronica
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, banjo, piano, melodica, ukulele, mandolin
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Mercer Street
Website	www.williamfitzsimmons.com

William Fitzsimmons (born 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, based in Illinois, perhaps best known for his songs "Passion Play" and "Please Don't Go", which aired during pivotal scenes in ABC's medical drama Grey's Anatomy. His first two full-length albums, Until When We Are Ghosts (2005) and Goodnight (2006) were completely self-produced and recorded by Fitzsimmons at his former home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His The Sparrow And The Crow (2008) was his first studio record. In addition to the above, his music has also been featured on ABC's Brothers & Sisters and Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice, MTV's Life of Ryan and Teen Wolf, The CW's One Tree Hill, ABC Family's Greek, Lifetime's Army Wives, and USA Network's Burn Notice, and he has been given reference in Billboard, Rolling Stone, Paste, Spin, Musikexpress, Uncut, Q Magazine, and Performing Songwriter Magazine.

Biography

Fitzsimmons was born the youngest child of two blind parents, and was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is said to have developed his multiple instrument abilities from his mother and father, both of whom were recreational musicians. His childhood home even housed a fully functional pipe organ, built by hand by his father. He was taught the piano and trombone during elementary school, and began teaching himself guitar while in junior high school. He is also proficient at the banjo, melodica, ukulele, and mandolin, and is known for mixing folk music with electronica in some of his production. In addition to performance abilities, Fitzsimmons is credited as the engineer and producer of his first two releases. He is often compared to contemporaries Iron & Wine, Sufjan Stevens, and the late Elliott Smith.

William's career in music came only after completing a Master's Degree in counseling at Geneva College, and working as a mental health therapist. Prior to his graduate studies, Fitzsimmons worked with the mentally ill for several years. It was during a summer break in the midst of graduate school that Fitzsimmons recorded a collection of songs on home recording equipment which would subsequently become his debut album.

Fitzsimmons' writing often includes reference to personal and family subject matter. His 2006 effort, Goodnight, is said to have been based largely on his parents' divorce during his adolescence, and his 2008 work, The Sparrow And The Crow, was written entirely about and following his own divorce.

Fitzsimmons' music was noticed initially largely through MySpace, and touring with fellow artists Ingrid Michaelson, Brooke Fraser and Cary Brothers among others, and from several featured song placements on popular national television programs such as Grey's Anatomy. William currently resides in Jacksonville, Illinois.

A video for "The Tide Pulls From The Moon" was released on 8 February 2011. In June 2011 Fitzsimmons was touring in Europe, presenting his recent album Gold In The Shadow, which was released March 22 via Nettwerk.

Awards

• iTunes US Best Singer/Songwriter Album 2008: The Sparrow and the Crow
• iTunes Australia Best International Singer/Songwriter Album 2009: The Sparrow and the Crow
• iTunes UK Best of 2009 Singer/Songwriter category: Goodnight
• Beards NOW (Aust. publication) Honorable Mention in category 'Bushrangers Beards on non-Australians' 2010
• The tour poster for the 2009 European tour designed by Stefan Guzy and Björn Wiede has been awarded for typographic excellence by the German Art Directors Club and was selected among the 100 best posters of 2009 in Germany.

Discography

Until When We Are Ghosts (2005)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Find It in Me"	6:42
2.	"Passion Play"	5:55
3.	"Candy"	4:05
4.	"When I Come Home"	4:25
5.	"Funeral Dress"	4:02
6.	"My Life Changed"	5:41
7.	"Forsake All Others"	3:10
8.	"Kylie"	7:27
9.	"Problem of Pain"	5:24
10.	"When You Were Young"	6:01
11.	"Shattered"	5:25

Goodnight (2006)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"It's Not True"	4:49
2.	"Hold on with My Open Hands"	4:10
3.	"Everything Has Changed"	4:56
4.	"Leave Me by Myself"	5:09
5.	"Please Don't Go"	6:37
6.	"You Broke My Heart"	6:36
7.	"Body for My Bed"	5:36
8.	"Never Let You Go"	4:51
9.	"I Don't Love You Anymore"	4:37
10.	"Mend Your Heart"	4:21
11.	"Goodnight" (feat. Ingrid Michaelson)	5:42
12.	"Find My Way Home"	5:46
13.	"Afterall"	7:44

The Sparrow and the Crow (2008)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"After Afterall" (feat. Caitlin Crosby)	2:48
2.	"I Don't Feel It Anymore (Song Of The Sparrow)" (feat. Priscilla Ahn)	3:30
3.	"We Feel Alone"	3:05
4.	"If You Would Come Back Home" (feat. Marshall Altman)	3:51
5.	"Please Forgive Me (Song of the Crow)"	3:11
6.	"Further from You" (feat. Priscilla Ahn)	3:51
7.	"Just Not Each Other"	2:56
8.	"Even Now"	2:51
9.	"You Still Hurt Me" (feat. Priscilla Ahn)	3:24
10.	"They'll Never Take the Good Years" (feat. Caitlin Crosby)	2:47
11.	"Find Me to Forgive"	4:31
12.	"Goodmorning" (feat. Marshall Altman)	3:17
13.	"Maybe Be Alright"	3:44

Derivatives (2010)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"I Don't Feel It Anymore" (feat. Brooke Fraser, George Raquet remix)	5:27
2.	"If You Would Come Back Home" (Mikroboy remix)	3:34
3.	"I Don't Feel It Anymore" (feat. Brooke Fraser on most releases, but Loane in Europe & United Kingdom)	3:31
4.	"You Still Hurt Me" (feat. The Great Neck South HS Choir)	3:31
5.	"So This Is Goodbye" (Original version)	4:11
6.	"Goodmorning" (Pink Ganter remix)	4:46
7.	"So This Is Goodbye" (Pink Ganter remix)	5:04
8.	"I Kissed a Girl" (Katy Perry cover)	3:13

Gold in the Shadow (2011)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Tide Pulls from the Moon"	3:39
2.	"Beautiful Girl"	2:38
3.	"The Winter from Her Leaving"	3:25
4.	"Fade and Then Return"	4:41
5.	"Psychasthenia"	4:14
6.	"Bird of Winter Prey"	4:01
7.	"Let You Break" (feat. Leigh Nash or Julia Stone depending on the version)	3:22
8.	"Wounded Head"	2:58
9.	"Tied to Me"	4:29
10.	"What Hold"	4:02
11.	"From the Water"	2:37
12.	"Blood and Bones"	2:46

Miscellaneous
No.	Title	Album / Format	Length
1.	"You Can Close Your Eyes" (James Taylor Cover)	Before the Goldrush compilation (2008)
2.	"Heartless"	Single (2009)
3.	"Covered in Snow"	Single (2009)
4.	"If You Would Come Back Home"	1% For the Planet compilation (2010)
5.	"The Tide Pulls from the Moon"	Single (2011)

External links

• Official website
• William Fitzsimmons on Myspace
• The Guardian: New Band of the Day: William Fitzsimmons
• NPR: William Fitzsimmons: A Songwriter with Vision
• Virgin Music: The Sparrow and the Crow Review
• Glide Magazine Strangers Almanac Column on William Fitzsimmons