Don Clark (born May 30, 1975) is an American

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

. He was the

rhythm guitarist In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

and

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...

for the

Christian metal Christian metal, also known as white metal, Jesus metal or heavenly metal, is heavy metal music distinguished by its Christian themed song lyrics and the dedication of the band members to Christianity. Christian metal is typically performed by ...

band,

Demon Hunter Demon Hunter is an American Christian metal band from Seattle, Washington, started in 2000 by brothers Don Clark and Ryan Clark. Although the brothers created the band together, only Ryan remains, since Don left the band to take care of his ...

, which he co-founded with his brother, vocalist Ryan Clark. Before Demon Hunter, Clark was a former guitarist and co-founder of

Training for Utopia Training for Utopia, also stylized as TFU, was an American metalcore band active from 1996 to October 2000. History The band first signed with Tooth & Nail Records and was later moved to Solid State Records, the Tooth & Nail imprint that pro ...

with Rob Dennler. He appears on Zao's ''The Lesser Lights of Heaven'' DVD.

History

Before forming TFU and Demon Hunter, Clark was in a local band called Offset. Offset never recorded anything and was short lived. Clark then started

with Rob Dennler. Clark formed the band with the Rob Dennler (vocals), Steve Saxby (bass) and Morley Boyer (drums). Dennler left the band in 1996 and Ryan joined the band. The band released an EP, a Split EP, and two studio albums. He and his brother formed

in 2000 and released their debut album late the following year through

Solid State Records Solid State Records is a Christian metalcore record label, an imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. Unlike Tooth & Nail, Solid State signs hardcore punk and heavy metal bands. Like Tooth & Nail, Solid State is primarily a Christian label. However, ...

. The group would continue to steadily gain exposure throughout the 2000s. His grandfather, an artist, helped inspire his grandsons' work in graphic design, which is their true day job. Ryan and Don founded

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

-based Asterik Studio with their friend Demetre Arges in 2000. The design studio has created CD packaging, poster art, web design, and/or merchandise design for hundreds of artists including Poison the Well,

Liz Phair Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career ...

P.O.D. P.O.D., an initialism for Payable on Death, is an American Christian metal band formed in 1992 and based in San Diego, California. The band's line-up consists of drummer and rhythm guitarist Wuv Bernardo, vocalist Sonny Sandoval, bassist Traa ...

, and

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums with ...

; however, Clark also notes that he is not a

fine art In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

ist and that such work is typically outsourced. Based on their design experience, Don and Ryan authored a chapter in the book ''New Masters of Photoshop, Volume 2'' (). In 2007, the brothers had announced that they were leaving Asterik to start

Invisible Creature Invisible Creature is an illustration and graphic design studio based in Seattle, Washington. It is run by brothers Don and Ryan Clark and was formed in 2006. Don and Ryan are also the co-founders of Asterik Studio (2000-2005). Clients include: N ...

. Clark was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Album packaging for The Folds' ''Secrets Keep You Sick''. He lives in Seattle, Washington, with his wife and two children. On August 12, 2009 in Seattle, Washington, at El Corazón,

announced that Don Clark had left the band to pursue his career in graphic design and to be with his family. In an interview with Matt Johnson Clark stated that, he, Don & Ryan, and

Nathan Burke Nathan Burke (born 6 February 1970) is a former Australian rules footballer and current coach of the team in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW). A tough rover he is considered the most courageous footballers to play for the St Kilda Footb ...

formed a project called Deathbed Atheist. Clark quit the band to focus on life and work.

Discography

;;Training for Utopia * ''The Falling Cycle EP'' (1997) * ''Plastic Soul Impalement'' (1998) * ''Training for Utopia / Zao'' (1998 w/ Zao) * ''Throwing a Wrench into the American Music Machine'' (1999) * ''Technical Difficulties'' (2004) ;Demon Hunter * ''

'' (2002) * ''

Summer of Darkness ''Summer of Darkness'' is the second album by American metalcore band Demon Hunter, released through Solid State in 2004. In the first week, the album sold 4.247 copies. Vocalist Ryan Clark described the album as being heavier than its predece ...

'' (2004) * ''

The Triptych ''The Triptych'' is the third full-length album by metalcore band Demon Hunter, released October 25, 2005. Produced by Aaron Sprinkle ( Emery, Fair) and mixed by Machine (Lamb of God), ''The Triptych'' had three different album covers—impl ...

'' (2006) * ''

Storm the Gates of Hell ''Storm the Gates of Hell'' is the fourth studio album by Christian metal band Demon Hunter, released on November 6, 2007. It is the band's last album to feature Don Clark and Ethan Luck. Touring and promotion Demon Hunter embarked on the Stro ...

'' (2007)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Don Living people 1975 births American performers of Christian music American heavy metal guitarists Musicians from San Jose, California Solid State Records artists Christian metal musicians Guitarists from California American male guitarists 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male musicians Demon Hunter members