Inner Ear Studios

38.8439°N 77.0895°W / 38.8439; -77.0895

Inner Ear Studios
TypeRecording Studio
IndustryEntertainment, Music
Founded1970 (original studio) 2022 (re-opening)
FounderDon Zientara
Defunct2021 (original studio)
Headquarters
Arlington, Virginia
,
United States
OwnerDon Zientara
Websitewww.innerearstudio.com

Inner Ear Studios is a recording studio founded in Arlington, Virginia that has been in operation since the late 1970s. Originally started in founder Don Zientara'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.[1] 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 being one of the first bands he recorded.[2] Zientara moved the studio to its own building in 1990.[3]

In 2014, the studio was featured on Dave Grohl's Sonic Highways television mini-series.[4]

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.[3][4] Zientara said he expected to have to vacate by 2021, and that he was considering multiple options, including retirement.[4] Zientara announced that the studio would close on October 1, 2021.[5] 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.[6] In 2022 Zientara reopened the studio in his basement.[7]

Artists

Inner Ear Studios played an important role in the Washington, D.C. hardcore scene; producing records for artists including Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Fugazi, Mary Timony, Braid, The Teen Idles, and Foo Fighters, The Look, and the Urban Verbs.[8][9][10][11][12]

References
  1. "$10,000 in Gear Stolen from Indie Recording Mainstay Inner Ear Studio". ProSoundNetwork.com. 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  2. Michael, Azerrad (2 July 2002). Our band could be your life: scenes from the American indie underground 1981-1991 (First Back Bay paperback ed.). Boston. ISBN 9780316787536. OCLC 50483014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. Beaujon, Andrew (2021-04-16). "Arlington's Famed Inner Ear Studios Could Close by the End of the Year". Washingtonian. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  4. "Punk Recording Studio Earmarked For Closure". www.punktuationmag.com. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  5. Augenstein, Neal (June 21, 2021). "Inner Ear Studio to close this October: 'It needs to come to an end'". WTOP-FM. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  6. "News - Und Sonst So" [News - Other]. Ox-Fanzine (in German). Solingen: Ox Verlag. February 2022. p. 5.
  7. "Inner Ear Studios Comes Home. Literally". WashingtonCityPaper.com. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  8. Andersen, Mark; Jenkins, Mark (Soft Skull Press, 2001). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital. Fourth ed., 2009. Akashic Books. ISBN 9781933354996. p. 15.
  9. Galil, Leor (2014-11-14). "Fugazi's first step toward punk royalty: A demo that became an underground smash". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  10. Kreps, Daniel (2014-10-25). "'Sonic Highways' Hits D.C.: 5 Things We Learned". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  11. Minsker, Evan (2014-10-06). "Mary Timony". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  12. Cohen, Ian (2018-04-06). "Braid 'Frame & Canvas' 20th anniversary interview". Stereogum. Retrieved 2018-10-17.


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