Pittsburgh is an ode to Fitzsimmons’ grandmother who passed away on October 15th 2014 and also, to the city he shared with her.

‘Beacon’ was written immediately following his grandmother’s death. Fitzsimmons says of the song: “It’s a pretty angry song. Or at least angry for me. It’s a song about not wanting someone to leave but being willing to be there for them when they do. I remember the Death Cab song (‘I Will Follow You Into the Dark’) coming into my mind around that time and being really pissed off at how wrong the idea of being able to follow someone into death is. The line in ‘Beacon’ which says “where I cannot follow anymore” is meant to be a correction to that idea. No disrespect to Ben, he’s one of my favorite writers, but In the moment of grief, when I desperately wanted that sentiment to be true, I saw that it was not.”

William Fitzsimmons is equal parts songwriter and psychotherapist, creating captivating music that uniquely melds depravity, honesty, and autobiography into a counter-intuitive seamless whole. Since 2005, Fitzsimmons has created six studio albums, each thoroughly themed and embossed with matters of family history, intimate disclosure, and bold confession, yielding rich folk music, ranging from the stark and acoustic to the voluminous and electronic. All the while reflecting William’s commitment to addressing what is always pressing, and yet all too often ignored.

Amidst his busy European tour schedule, Fitzsimmons will return to the UK for a one-off show at London’s Scala in August.

William Fitzsimmons
Tuesday 11th August
The Scala, London
275 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9NL
7.30pm / £15
Tickets

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