I’ve been in sort of a chill mood recently. Whether it’s the coming of summer or just the fact that I am progressively getting lazier, I’ve found myself in more of a “hang out” mood rather than a “go out” mood. That’s not to say I’ve lost my sense of fun and excitement. When I put my mind to it, I party harder than Teen Wolf in his prime. But when I’m ready to relax I need the right music to fit my mood. As I was looking for something to be the staple for my relaxing, I came across an artist that we featured in our Weekly Jukebox a few months back. His cover of Kanye West’s “Heartless” is one of the best hip-hop to singer-songwriter covers I’ve heard. I guess William Fitzsimmons is a little bit gangster.
This now Illinois-based, then Pennsylvania-based singer-songwriter is an extremely powerful and heartfelt musician. His style is comparatively close to that of Sufjan Stevens, but a little milder in tone and melody. William Fitzsimmon‘s story is most likely different than most as both of his parents were blind and recreational musicians. They taught him to appreciate a number of different artists including James Taylor, Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel. Something must have stuck, because his most recent release, The Sparrow and the Crow, reached #1 on the iTunes folk charts and #56 on the iTunes top albums charts. Not too shabby.
You’ll find a slew of instruments on his album including guitar, piano, banjo, mandolin and ukulele. I guess you could say he is his own family band. He also performs with one other thing on stage: his beard. This massive piece of facial hair inches closer to Grizzly Adams status than that of mere recreation. It’s a signature of his that you will learn to love. I’ve learned to love it so much that I’m currently attempting to grow my own. Progress is slow.
Check out the video for “If You Would Come Back Home”:
Buy the album:
Like William Fitzsimmons? Check out The Low Anthem!
William Fitzsimmons – “Heartless”
I love when contemporary singer-songwriters cover hip-hop songs in their own style. It’s like showing a whole different side to a song you’ve heard a thousand times. William Fitzsimmons has taken Kanye West’s pop single and turned it into a song you can make love to. Aw yeah. Bow chica wow wow.
Buy it on Amazon Music
The Thermals – “Now We Can See”
The Thermals are HOT. You see what I did there? Actually this song is very catchy and I promise you’ll be humming the most popular part of the song in no time, even if you don’t know how to hum. If that’s the case, send us an email and we’ll send you instructions.
But it on Amazon Music
Matt and Kim – “Daylight”
This honky-tonk piano jam mixed with parade percussion is more than enough to get your feet tapping. And with a sweet name like Matt and Kim, you know you’re about to get blown away. Ok, so maybe it’s not the most creative name in the world, but you don’t need an awesome name to make awesome music. Ask Kenny G. Enough said.
Buy it on Amazon Music
