By Cliff Hall | From the January/February 2025 issue of Strings
“A rolling stone gathers no moss” is an ancient proverb that seems to apply perfectly to the life of a touring rock musician. But the endless load-ins, load-outs, soundchecks, hotel rooms, and bus rides are not just rough on the musicians. Their instruments live the touring life too. Abrupt humidity and temperature shifts that transpire on journeys both across the stage and the country take their toll. Musicians must be vigilant.
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Joe Kwon, approaching his 20th anniversary of playing cello for iconic band the Avett Brothers, has not only survived but thrived as a touring musician. These two decades have included plenty of learning experiences, however, as Kwon discovered and implemented the necessary adaptations to make it all work.
Tell me about your primary instrument. What do you know about its history?
In a way, I have two primary instruments. I have my home/recording cello, which I came across while I was a senior in high school at Idyllwild Arts Academy. I had played a student cello since I was large enough to have a full size, and in an unfortunate flight incident, it sustained damages that exceeded the value of the instrument. That very weekend, William Harris Lee was in California demoing cellos. I played several, and once I played this Peter Staszel, I immediately fell in love. It became my home cello.
My stage cello is a Wilhelm Klier from Eastman Strings, which has been somewhat doctored up to be very stable in the ever-changing environments that a touring cello goes through. My luthier, Jerry Pasewicz, lightly suggested that maybe I take my Staszel off the road, and at about the same time, I was contacted by Eastman to be one of its artists. Cellos on the road go through many changes in temperature and humidity, so Jerry took the whole Wilhelm Klier cello apart and reinforced specific areas that he’d noticed from my Staszel would need extra “support,” if you will.
What first drew you to it, and how did you know it was the right fit?
I fell in love with the Staszel for its sound color and tone. It felt great in my hands, and I could feel the upper registers speak well for me. The ease of the low end without having to muscle out any tone made for a fun cello to play in my string ensembles at the time.
What gifts do your instruments bring to your playing that can’t be found in any other instruments?
My Staszel has been through so much with me—from a young budding musician who dreamt of being a classical cellist to the jaded college student who played open mic nights with my friends. I turned to the cello in my angsty years to find comfort and reliability, and as I’ve gotten older, it has traveled the world a couple times and has seen many stages.
My Klier is just a workhorse. It has been kicked over, dropped, been in the back of a tractor trailer, underneath planes, handled by hundreds of people, and it’s always there and in tune. In fact, as I’m doing this interview, there is a three-inch chunk of the top missing from it because Seth Avett accidentally kicked it over onstage. It literally takes a beating on the road. To date, it’s been kicked over four times, dropped three, and tossed in its case countless times. In fact, the last time it was kicked over and a huge piece came flying off of it, I picked it up for the next song and it was still in tune.
It’ll go into the shop soon, and Jerry Pasewicz will bring it back to brand new in no time.
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What are your instruments’ personalities and temperaments like?
My Staszel is bright and fun, speaks well, but is fussy in the mid-range and has wolf tones at E/F below middle C. I have to fight her in 4th position on the G string, but I still love her.
My Klier is more of a grouchy old instrument, even though it’s very young. Sometimes it’s tired, and I try to figure out if I need a new soundpost and bridge and a full work up. Do I need fresh strings? Do I need a bow rehair? Inside my head, I’m yelling at it at times. And sometimes it’s so easy to play I wonder if I enjoy playing it more than my Staszel.
Does your Staszel remind you of anyone or anything?
My Staszel doesn’t remind me of a person or anything, but it always brings me back to a time and place. I remember playing her for the first time in the practice rooms at USC. I remember going to her when I was sad and needed some familiarity. She’s a great little cello.
Do your cellos perform better in certain situations?
My Staszel plays better when I don’t try to force her. I notice that when I come in with a heavy hand, I really have to fight for a good tone. However, when I come with finesse, she’s much more responsive and fun to play. She’s not a very loud cello, but she speaks well in quiet volumes.
My Klier likes to be pushed. Heavy, hard hits with the bow make for some nice stage performance moves and sounds, and it is always being pushed and pushed to produce more sound, though it rarely ever fights back with compressed notes or too much distortion. (Unless I push a pedal for some distortion.)
What is your Staszel’s greatest strength?
My Staszel likes to be quiet. I love playing Ravel or anything with a silkiness to the composition on this cello.
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What are some of the Staszel’s limitations?
My Staszel isn’t really a great concert cello. Her projection isn’t so good, but with quality mics or pickups, she did great. The reason I didn’t need her onstage was because with any amplification through pickups, the finesse was lost, and she just became any old cello with amplification.
If given the ability, what would your Staszel say to you if you sat down for tea (or any beverage of your choice)?
“You need to practice more!” These are words that I think my cello heard so much from my parents growing up that it’s just echoing in her body to this day.
You’re well known for playing while standing up. How did that get started?
Back in the late ’90s, I was at Interlochen summer camp, and my friend Clarice Jensen (now artistic director of the American Contemporary Music Ensemble), as we were going to a rehearsal, was walking and playing her cello. I had never seen anyone do this before. Fast forward to December 30, 2006, when I played my first show with the Avett Brothers, I remember initially I was sitting on Scott Avett’s SWR Strawberry Blonde amp, and within a matter of seconds, it was clear I could not stay seated with all the wild energy that was going on onstage. In a split second, I remembered Clarice walking around playing, and I just went for it. The rest is history. It just made sense in the moment, and I made it my thing after that.
Did you have to change your technique at all in order to do that?
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If you’ve ever seen me play, most of my playing is in fourth position or thumb position. The ergonomics of holding a cello between your neck and shoulder while simultaneously hooking the C peg on your neck and trying to play in first and second position makes the ergonomics of the lower registers difficult unless I play standing using my endpin.
You have a pretty intense touring schedule. How do you avoid the common injuries that many cellists face?
I don’t play nearly as much as a classical cellist does. The days of five to eight hours of practice are behind me at this point. Yes, I’m still behind my cello three to four hours a day, but it’s not the same kind of tedious practice that it once was. On top of that, as I’ve gotten older, I have noticed the benefits of working out every day and eating well making a huge difference in my quality of life when it comes to injuries and my mental state. Fortunately, we have a rather comfortable tour life. So I believe, with all of this combined, I’m able to stay pretty healthy.
Joe Kwon’s Other Gear
Strings: Larsen Soloist A&D; Thomastik-Infeld Spirocore Tungsten G&C
Bows: “I have too many bows to name on the road. They’re all student bows that can take a beating and withstand the rigors of tour life. My home/recording bow is a Paul Martin Siefried my parents bought me in high school. To this day, it is one of my most cherished items I own.”
Case: Home case: carbon/Kevlar Eastman; road cello case: Alan Stevenson flight case
Rosin: Millant-Deroux
Additional Gear: L.R. Baggs Venue DI; Way Huge Russian Pickle Fuzz pedal; Electro-Harmonix POG Poly Octave Generator (x2); Boss RV-6 Reverb (x2) and PS-6 Harmonist pedals
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