Van William Pierszalowski, a singer/songwriter rooted in California, first rose to attention through his folk-rock group Port O'Brien before establishing the rock band WATERS. Port O'Brien coalesced in the late 2000s and gained early traction within the rising indie folk scene by issuing rustic-toned material evocative of acts such as Great Lake Swimmers and Blitzen Trapper. After the ensemble dissolved in 2011, Pierszalowski moved to Oslo, Norway, and assembled the more rock-focused WATERS, whose inaugural release, Out in the Light, appeared the same year. Back in California he rebuilt WATERS around a West Coast configuration, issuing the subsequent albums What's Real in 2015 and Something More! in 2017. During summer 2017 Pierszalowski launched his solo career as Van William with the single "Revolution," a collaboration featuring Swedish sister duo First Aid Kit; the track later appeared on the four-song EP The Revolution. His debut solo full-length, Countries, arrived in January 2018.
