Singer-songwriter Van Pierszalowski has started three bands in the past decade: Port O'Brien, an indie-folk favorite of the Bay Area in the late aughts; the power-pop group WATERS, technically still a band; and his current solo work as Van William, which brings the lyrical and poetic intimacy of Americana together with those powerful pop melodies and hooks. Thursday night he'll be at the Independent promoting Van William's debut album, Countries. Through these years, much has been said about Pierszalowski's relationship to place — specifically, Alaska. Port O'Brien is the name of the Alaskan bay where his parents met, and the [...]