William Fitzsimmons - Topic

Born the youngest child of two blind parents, William Fitzsimmons was raised in the outskirts of the steel city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Reared more on sound than sight, Fitzsimmons was immersed in a musically saturated home teeming with a myriad of instruments, classical and folk records, talking parrots, and a pipe organ his father constructed with his own hands. His influences include the folk icons of Nick Drake, Simon & Garfunkel, and James Taylor, the melodic sounds of the Beatles and Brian Wilson, and the contemporary eclecticism of Ben Gibbard and Imogen Heap. He is most often compared to Sufjan Stevens and Iron & Wine, with touches of the Postal Service.

William is a multi-instrumentalist and has a penchant for including such multifarious elements as pianos, guitars, banjos, melodicas, flutes, clarinets, and electronic elements in his music. He holds a Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling, worked with the mentally ill for several years, and often includes experiential, intimate, and family subject matter in his writing.