William Fitzsimmons - Howard Theatre - Apr 20 2014

William Fitzsimmons - Illness had me out of commission over the weekend, but I pushed to make it for most of William Fitzsimmons set tonight. Although I saw him once before two years ago, his talents are worth revisiting regularly. His band was an extra bonus tonight as the arrangements were fleshed out in a serious rocking style that somehow retained an extra light touch. And lightness is where to start with his delicate music. His singing is as much breathing life to the words as it is finding a melody. The guitar playing is light and the first songs I catch are worked with one other guitarist. Their interplay is well thought out as there is a lot going on if you listen carefully, yet the overall sound is comforting and smooth. The rest of his band comes on adding percussion and some keyboards or bass. He may remind you of Elliott Smith, but with full band he approached Richard Buckner, on his lighter side. It was also to see this style of music succeed in a big hall. Although seated shows usually result in a more rapt audience, even the bar area was quiet, allowing everyone to fully engage in this set. William Fitzsimmons is a man of many talents and thankfully he is sharing his musical talents with the world.

Quote of the Night: "I don't like to talk about song meanings too often, but that song was about boners. I thought it was clear."