NEW YORK (Top40 Charts/ Downtown Records) - New U.S. Tour Dates Confirmed for
William Fitzsimmons, as Mercer Street Readies 4/7 Release of his 'Near Masterpiece' The Sparrow And The Crow.
iTunes' No 1 Singer-Songwriter Album of 2008.
Wistful Video Debuts For Focus Track 'If You Would Come Back Home'.
Additional U.S. Tour dates have been confirmed for indie troubadour William Fitzsimmons, as his Spring '09 expands to include stops in WI, IL, NE, CO, UT, WA, OR, CA (SF, LA, SD,) AZ, NM, TX, OK, KS, MO, IL, KY, PA, NYC, MD, VA, TN, GA, AL, MS, AR and MO.
The concerts coincide with the April 7th release of Fitzsimmons' first studio CD, 'The Sparrow And The Crow'. Fitzsimmons recently signed to leading independent label Downtown Records' newly launched imprint, Mercer Street, and the news was covered in a BILLBOARD Exclusive article (see below).
Following an underground, digital-only release last Fall, 'The Sparrow And The Crow' earned rave coverage and became iTunes' No 1 Singer-Songwriter Album of 2008.
A new music video for the focus track 'If You Would Come Back Home' premiered on Pitchfork.
Check out the wistful clip, directed by Josh Franer, here:
https://pitchfork.com/tv/No /musicvideo/525-william-fitzsimmons-if-you-would-come-back-home-downtown
Fitzsimmons has a haunting sound that evokes references to Iron & Wine, Bright Eyes and Elliott Smith. His forthright debut album tells the true story of two people who didn't make it: William conceived 'The Sparrow And The Crow' as an apology and a confessional to his former wife...and then set those words to music. The result is a hushed and heartbreaking collection of songs that charts a path from regret to reconciliation.
In a recent 'A-' CD review, BOSTON HERALD critic Kevin Convey described 'The Sparrow And The Crow' as "A Near Masterpiece": "Powerfully heart-wrenching and yet so delicate you fear a breath might blow it right out of the CD player, singer-songwriter Fitzsimmons' chronicle of his divorce is a near-masterpiece. Recalling both the cornhusker folk-rock of early Joe Henry and the doomed intimacy of Nick Drake, 'The Sparrow and the Crow' makes art and beauty out of tragedy without selling the tragedy short - as you'd expect from a licensed therapist. It's tough stuff, marred only by repetitiveness. But that does nothing to diminish Fitzsimmons' artistic achievement, which is huge and lasting.
The Tripwire, 3/09: He bears a startling resemblance to one of our favorite bearded acoustic soulsters, but William Fitzsimmons is charting a course all his own. For starters, he's a licensed mental health professional. Last year, he had a no. 1 album on iTunes and no record label. And to top it all off, he even managed to write an album about a divorce that doesn't make you want to run into traffic or run for the stop button. Just signed to Downtown Records' newly launched imprint Mercer Street, Fitzsimmons' first studio LP, The Sparrow And The Crow, will be released April 7. The album had a digital-only release last fall, debuting at no. 2 on the iTunes Folk Chart and eventually becoming the no. 1 Folk Album of 2008 on iTunes. The album's concept is an apology and confessional to his former wife, a musical documentary of his divorce. But don't be scared off by that description - it's not music to drink yourself stupid to. Fitzsimmons was raised by two blind parents in Pittsburgh, and grew up listening to his father's orchestral records and his mother's collection of classics like Bob Dylan, James Taylor and Joni Mitchell.
Billboard Exclusive: Fitzsimmons Signs With Mercer Street
2/13/09 By Katie Hasty, N.Y. https://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/billboard-exclusive-fitzsimmons-signs-with-1003941629.story
Singer/songwriter William Fitzsimmons has signed with Downtown Recordings imprint Mercer Street, Billboard has learned. The label will release the Illinois-based musician's "The Sparrow and the Crow" on April 7. That set was previously self-released last fall to iTunes, which crowned the set as its No. 1 folk album of 2008; it has sold 5,000 downloads in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. He also released home studio records "Goodnight" in 2006 and "Until When We Are Ghosts" in 2005.
Fitzsimmons, featured as a Billboard Underground artist in February 2008 , earned further acclaim last year as a regular performer at the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles and on the Hotel Cafe tour circuit. His music has been placed in television shows like "Grey's Anatomy" and "Army Wives." The singer will tour the U.S. in March through mid-April. He will also be opening for jazz crossover artist Madeleine Peyroux on March 21, 24, 27 and 28. Fitzsimmons says signing to Mercer Street Records, which is also home to Femi Kuti, Asa and Jesse Harris, is "a huge honor for me and something I'm truly humbled by. This is something that a lot of us dream about and to actually see it happen is a wonderful feeling."
WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS ON TOUR:
3/18/2009 Lake Pepin Art & Design Center Pepin WI
3/19/2009 Rock Island Brewing Company Rock Island IL
3/20/2009 Burke's Pub Omaha NE
3/21/2009 Boulder Theater Boulder CO supporting Madeleine Peyroux
3/22/2009 Kilby Court Salt Lake City UT
3/24/2009 Moore Theater Seattle WA supporting Madeleine Peyroux
3/25/2009 Mississippi Studios Portland OR
3/27/2009 Palace of Fine Arts - SOLD OUT San Francisco CA supporting Madeleine Peyroux
3/28/2009 Club Nokia Los Angeles CA supporting Madeleine Peyroux
3/29/2009 LeStat's San Diego CA
3/31/2009 Rhythm Room Phoenix AZ
4/2/2009 Launchpad Albuquerque NM
4/4/2009 Lola's Sixth Fort Worth TX
4/5/2009 Stubb's Jr. Austin TX
4/7/2009 The Marquee Tulsa OK
4/8/2009 The Bottleneck Lawrence KS
4/9/2009 Mojo's Columbia MO
4/10/2009 Uncle Pleasant's Louisville, KY
4/11/2009 Schuba's Chicago IL
4/14/2009 The Parlour @ Southgate House Newport, KY
4/15/2009 Garfield Artworks Pittsburgh, PA
4/16/2009 Tin Angel Philadelphia, PA
4/17/2009 Canal Room New York City
4/18/2009 Nightcat (Formerly Coffee East) Easton, MD
4/18/2009 Vintage Vinyl - In-Store Performance Fords, NJ
4/20/2009 Jammin' Java Vienna, VA
4/21/2009 Square Room Knoxville, TN
4/22/2009 Smith's Olde Bar Atlanta, GA
4/23/2009 FOX6-TV NEWS AT NOON Birmingham, AL - Live TV Performance
4/23/2009 Workplay Birmingham, AL
4/24/2009 Tasty World Athens, GA
4/27/2009 Proud Larry's Oxford, MS
4/28/2009 Juanita's Little Rock, AR
4/29/2009 Billiken Club St. Louis, MO
