OLYMPIA, Wash. — "This song is about travelling," Joey Capoccia says as his band The Pine Hearts gets ready to launch into "Wouldn't You Know", from their new album Lost Love Songs. "It's also about missing your hometown while you're doing your traveling."
Capoccia knows something about that. For four months out of every year, he packs up his guitar and leaves his hometown of Olympia to work ten thousand miles away in the coldest place on the planet. He's a carpenter for the National Science Foundation at the South Pole.
"A friend of mine often describes it as 'space for poor people'," Capoccia laughs. "It's like being on another planet. You can't go outside without special gear on. It looks totally different. The sun is up 24 hours a day."
Capoccia is there for the Antarctic summers, where the wind chill averages 40 below. At the South Pole station, there's a well-equipped music room where Capoccia spends his time after dinner.
"Your inspiration knows like at 6 p.m. he's going to sit down at that time to write songs," Capoccia says.
"Every time he's gone down to the pole he's come back with many new songs that are full of really interesting things to explore," says bassist Dean Shakked.
If a few of the songs sound a bit lonely, well who can blame Capoccia?
"You'd be surprised at the things you miss," he says. "Like text messaging. You don't get text messages down there."
But when Capoccia gets back home, his band of brothers are always ready to play their brand of bluegrass music. They've recorded five albums together since 2014.
"There's a very strong brotherhood amongst the three of us," says mandolin player Derek McSwain. "Our goal has always been to stay together, just keep going."
The songs may come from the coldest place on Earth, but together The Pine Hearts make them feel like a warm hug.
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