Finally back in the Bay Area and now a resident of San Francisco, Van Pierszalowski’s new project WATERS (formerly of Port O’Brien) joined us for our most recent Neighborhood Session in the heart of SOMA. Located behind the Holy Cow! in the middle of a small unexpected alleyway, SFians found their way to Bamm.tv‘s studio space for a night of music and new friends.

What used to be a Burning Man party house, was transformed into a perfectly lit wonderland filled with hazy fog just for the evening. It couldn’t have been more perfect, and even the rainy weather outside somehow added to the warm ambiance of the night.

The first performance since Van’s return to the Bay, WATERS blew us all away with songs off their debut Out In The Lights. Van started the night off appropriately with an ode to his newfound home (and one of his favorite cities) “San Francisco.” A crowd favorite of course was “For The One” and also “Mickey Mantle” where the band brought on set a choir of friends to sing along.

In conjunction with Noise Pop and BAMM.tv, Audyssey presents The Neighborhood Sessions, an intimate live concert series with up and coming artists.

After Port O’Brien you spent alot of time traveling. Did this inspire your new project in anyway?

Van: Nothing specific ever inspires me. Not to my knowledge anyway. Songs just kind of happen, and are probably a cumulative result of everything.

What are some of your favorite places you’ve been during your travels?

Van: Berlin, Oslo, and New York are some of my favorite cities.

How does living in San Francisco compare to other places you’ve lived and visited?

Van: I really haven’t lived in very many places. Compared to other places I’ve visited, I think its a great combination of all my favorite things in a place: great food, great coffee, solid weather, awesome music going on, good public transportation, close to the ocean. All those things are super important, and there’s not a whole lot of places that have all of them going on. San Francisco is the perfect blend of my favorite American and European cities.

What are some of your favorite places to hang out in in San Francisco?

Van: Sightglass Coffee is pretty amazing. I hate to be that guy, but I would love for them to get some Wi-Fi though. The ambience is just so great in there, I would love to hang out and get my internet work done. All in all, though, one of the best roasteries in the city.

What do you love most about your neighborhood?

Van: I live on Potrero Hill. There are views from all over the Hill. From our roof, you can see all of the East Bay to Downtown SF, the Golden Gate Bridge, all the way to Twin Peaks. Its pretty spectacular walking around up here, always being able to see the city below you. Its also the sunniest (though not the warmest) hood in SF. It’s also the most seismologically safe neighborhood in the City, totally on bedrock, and escaped 1906 with minimum damage, so its easier to sleep at night.

What are some of your favorite bands of the moment?

Van: One of my favorite new SF-based bands is French Cassettes. They are this super young band originally from out in the Central Valley, now based here in the City. My girlfriend and I just wanted to go to a show one night, and stumbled on them, and I’ve been digging their jams ever since. Also, a new Bay Area discovery is The Range of Light Wilderness. And one of my favorite songwriters ever has been floating around SF lately, Kyle Field from Little Wings. There’s so much great music coming out to the City right now, its kind of overwhelming. I’m also working with this rad new band Churches. My drummer’s project Kinship is super great, too.