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Inner Ear Studios is a
recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for Sound recording and reproduction, recording and Audio mixing, mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home proje ...
founded in Arlington,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
that has been in operation since the late 1970s. Originally started in founder
Don Zientara Don Zientara ( ) is an American record producer and musician. He owns and runs Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, located just outside Washington D.C., and is most widely known for his production work with Fugazi, Minor Threat and variou ...
's basement, the studio spent many years on South Oakland St. in Arlington. The studio is now back in Don's basement, and has been in continuous operation for over 40 years. During that time, virtually all of Washington, DC's most widely recognized and acclaimed bands have recorded there. The studio is known for its association with the Washington, D.C. hardcore scene.


History

The studio was started by Zientara in his own home in Arlington in the late 1970s. At first, Zientara recorded harp music and Celtic folk tunes, but at the end of the 70's, Zientara began to record punk music, with
Teen Idles The Teen Idles were an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in September 1979. Consisting of teenagers Nathan Strejcek, Geordie Grindle, Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson (musician), Jeff Nelson, they recorded two demo sessions and ...
being one of the first bands he recorded. Zientara moved the studio to its own building in 1990. In 2014, the studio was featured on Dave Grohl's Sonic Highways television mini-series. In 2021, it was announced that the studio's building might be bought by Arlington County as part of development for a new art and industrial district. Zientara said he expected to have to vacate by 2021, and that he was considering multiple options, including retirement. Zientara announced that the studio would close on October 1, 2021. The closing took place in late 2021. Filmmaker Bryan Davis published a nine-minute documentary about the closing, mainly consisting of an interview with Zientara. In 2022 Zientara reopened the studio in his basement.


Artists

Inner Ear Studios played an important role in the Washington, D.C. hardcore scene. The studio produced records for artists including
Minor Threat Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C., by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, and recruited bassist Brian Baker and guita ...
,
Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an ade ...
,
Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They were noted for their style-transc ...
,
Mary Timony Mary Bozana Timony (born 1969 or 1970) is an American indie rock, independent singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, Bass guitar, bassist, and viola, violist. She has been a member of the bands Helium (band), Helium, Autoclave (band), Autocl ...
,
Braid A braid (also referred to as a plait; ) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing three or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair. The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strand ...
,
The Teen Idles The Teen Idles were an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in September 1979. Consisting of teenagers Nathan Strejcek, Geordie Grindle, Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson (musician), Jeff Nelson, they recorded two demo sessions and ...
,
Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...
, and the Urban Verbs. Andersen, Mark; Jenkins, Mark (
Soft Skull Press Counterpoint LLC was a publishing company that Perseus Books Group launched in 2007. It was formed from the consolidation of three presses: Perseus' Counterpoint Press, Shoemaker & Hoard, and Soft Skull Press. The company published books under b ...
, 2001). ''Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital''. Fourth ed., 2009.
Akashic Books Akashic Books is a Brooklyn-based independent publisher, formed in 1997. It was started by Johnny Temple (bassist), Johnny Temple, bassist of Girls Against Boys and mid-'80s Dischord band Soulside, with the mission "to make literature more part ...
. . p. 15.


References


External links

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Interview with Dave Grohl, Ian Mackaye, and members of Bad Brains on recording at Inner Ear Studios
Recording studios in the United States Buildings and structures in Arlington County, Virginia {{recording-studio-stub