About The Pine Hearts
The Pine Hearts first formed in the early 2010's as a
traditional-leaning folk and bluegrass trio, establishing bandleader and
guitarist Joey Capoccia's distinct picking flair and alt-Americana songwriting
style after long-running stints in classic Olympia, WA bands such as The
Pasties and The Blackberry Bushes, culminating in the albums Distant Lights
(2013) and Winter on Orcas (2013). In the fall of 2015 came their successive
album, Thin Walls (2015), which took a decidedly more country bent, enlisting a
wider variety of instruments while honing their roster of dense, powerful
tunes, imbued with themes of love and of loss. In 2016, two permanent members
joined the fold ~ fast-picking mandolinist Derek McSwain (formerly of the
trad-bluegrass powerhouse The Oly Mountain Boys) and genre-defying upright
bassist Dean Shakked. All three are accomplished vocalists in their own rights,
allowing for lush, complex three-part vocal harmony to give new depth and
dimension to the band's lyrical melodies.
2018 saw the release of Carousel, a return to classic
Nashville bluegrass sensibilities, followed shortly after by 2019’s Back To
Sustain, a live album recorded direct to tape inside an old grange hall on the
outskirts of Olympia, which featured rerecorded and stripped-down versions of
the band’s favorite original tunes. Looming on the horizon is 2022’s upcoming
release Lost Love Songs, the most mature and fully-developed album of The Pine
Hearts’ career, featuring a more deliberate and polished sound to complement
their finest collection of songs yet.