WATERS For The One

Van Pierszalowski has been on the move these days. After splitting with his band Port O'Brien in 2010, the California-based singer-songwriter headed to Norway in need of some space (and in pursuit of a girl). There, he penned an album's worth of songs, gathered musicians, and started his new band, WATERS, all amidst stints in California, Alaska, and New York.

Their debut album Out In The Light (released September 16 on TBD Records) embraces a buoyant, in-your-face sound and a heady grunge approach that veers far from the tenuous folk tunes that made indie darlings of Port O'Brien. Different, yes, but WATERS has an energetic, ebullient vibe that I love "” Pierszalowski compares writing the album to the experience of "waking up" "” and I see just what he means.

WATERS is about to embark on an East Coast tour (including four dates in New York for CMJ), following a stint on the West Coast and in Europe. I caught up with Pierszalowski before he jetted off to Oslo about his newfound musical confidence, his love of Lil' Wayne, and the importance of Skype in a long-distance relationship.

You traveled to Norway immediately after Port O'Brien broke up, then returned to put together a band. What was the appeal?

On one of the last Port O'Brien tours in Europe, I met a girl there, in Oslo. And fell in love. After that, in between tours, I would just go back there to try to see though this trans-Atlantic love affair. Then, eventually, I started really loving the city "” it's a really beautiful place to be. That's where I started to get really into writing the album and focusing in on what I wanted it to sound like. And I stumbled on these musicians that were just kind of perfect for what I wanted to go for.

Are you two still together?

Yeah we are. Skype makes it a lot easier... the world is pretty small these days. It still sucks, but we're trying to move to San Francisco. We're just trying to sort out a visa and stuff like that. We want to get a place in Ocean Beach.

It sounds like falling in love spurred your writing.

In some ways, yeah. I think that the writing on the record is mainly about starting from scratch and starting over. Some of it relates to the situation I was in with Port O'Brien, and a lot of it expresses the difficulties of breaking free from that and getting the confidence I needed to start a new project. But, falling in love and moving to Norway was definitely a huge inspiration.

You often us terms like "breaking free" when talking about your split from Port O'Brien. What became problematic with the band?

When we started touring, I was what, 18? Maybe 20, I can't remember really. But young, everyone was young. And it was just dramatic. By the end it was just too dramatic [laughs]. It was time for all of us to start our own things.

With WATERS you seem much bolder in your singing and your musical approach

It's definitely the ballsiest record I've made. Because WATERS is more my own project, I spent way more time working on the songs before I brought them to any sort of band. I had a very specific idea of how I wanted it to sound; I wasn't second-guessing myself at all.

You've described "For The One" as the definitive track of the album; that it sums up the album's theme. When in the process did you write it?

Pretty early on. It might have been one of the first songs I finished "” it got me really excited. I just knew that it was where I wanted to go.

Much of the album has a grunge feel that's very different from Port O'Brien's folk sound. Have your musical inspirations changed between the two bands?

I mean, In Utero by Nirvana is my favorite album of all time. I've always loved Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth, The Pixies and Vaseline. For Port O'Brien, I did listen to a lot of folk music, a lot of Neil and Bonnie Prince"¦ but I still listen to that.

What are some of your favorite bands right now?

When you're on tour playing show after show of rock music, kinda the last thing you want to listen to is more rock music [laughs]. I've been listening a lot to more hip-hop, R&B and rap. Lil' Wayne is probably my favorite rapper. I really like Dr. Dre and all of those West Coast jams "” I'm more into that kinda shit than Jay-Z and Kanye.

You named Port O'Brien after a place in Alaska where your parents met and where you grew up on fishing boats. WATERS, obviously, has some nautical leanings, too.  Do you ever feel claustrophobic when you find yourself in land-locked states?

I really do. When we're touring its okay cause we're always on the move, but we recorded the record in Dallas for a couple weeks. And it was really hard to be away from the ocean for that long without moving around.

You've got a good number of New York shows coming up, and lived here for a time. Where were you, specifically?

I lived in Clinton Hill for like 3 months. But it was November, December and January. It was freezing!

What are some of your favorite spots in New York?

There's this place I'd always go to work on my computer called Smooch, super rad. It's the café that they're always at in Bored to Death.

Are New York audiences noticeably different than other audiences?

New York audiences are kind of the same as the LA audiences. They probably wouldn't want to hear that! It's because they're so oversaturated with music, they go to shows all the time. But then you play like, Lawrence, KS and these people are just freaking out that they're at a show. I'd say it's a different vibe, but I still love playing in New York more than anywhere.

Even more than San Francisco?

No, not more than San Francisco!

What do you do to keep busy on the road?

All kinds of stuff really. Listen to a lot of music, read, work on songs. A lot of sleeping during the day. We try to exercise as well; that's super important. When I first started touring with Port O'Brien I think I gained like, 25 pounds in 6 months just from not exercising and eating a lot. It's good to stay active and try to balance it out.

That's a very healthy approach to the rock "˜n' roll lifestyle.

Yeah, it is!