William Fitzsimmons Shares Details Of Forthcoming Album 'Ready The Astronaut'

Over the course of his career, William Fitzsimmons has made his living writing a specific brand of honest and inward-looking folk songs that fearlessly and candidly examine the evolving self while dexterously communicating his talent for robust melodies and catchy instrumentation.

That the subject matter tends to dwell on the darker parts of human existence and relationships is no coincidence. Now, Fitzsimmons is set to release Ready the Astronaut (out June 25 via Nettwerk Records) as a powerful testament to his own past, and by weaving his story through the familiar tale of Icarus, he illustrates his willingness to accept his life's highs and lows by paying tribute to the influence they have on the future.

"I've always been fascinated by the astronaut thing," he says. "When I was a kid, the idea of escaping my situation was attractive. Having disabled parents, being fat, being a band nerd, and made fun of on the bus every morning...I wanted to escape the corporeal realm, to escape my body and my family. The farthest you can get is putting on a spacesuit and getting the hell out of Dodge. Somewhere that was always in the back of my head. And at that moment in Nashville, at 41 years old and already through one divorce, I had thought this was the relationship that was gonna fix everything. And all of a sudden everything was happening all over again; I was right back to where I started, again. That was an overwhelmingly bad feeling and I just wanted to escape. The album was born out of wanting to not have to live over the same mistakes that I had made so many times already."

Out today, the latest single "If I Fell Back To The Earth (You Will Never Find Me)" is about how anger is not a negative emotion. Righteous anger gives us the strength to seek justice. To not accept unfairness or wrongdoing.

Speaking with American Songwriter, Fitzsimmons says, "I felt like I was similar to the Icarus character because I made a lot of the same mistakes that he made in his life," says Fitzsimmons. "So, I just started writing songs surrounding that theme. Mostly, the record is about going up, going down and trying to get back up, learning from your mistakes, but messing it up all over again."