Inner Ear Studios is a

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...

founded in Arlington,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

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 various ...

'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 Washington, D.C., hardcore, commonly referred to as D.C. hardcore, sometimes styled in writing as harDCore, is the hardcore punk scene of Washington, D.C. Emerging in late 1979, it is considered one of the first and most influential punk scenes in ...

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, they recorded two demo sessions and the 1980 '' Minor Distur ...

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 ''Sonic Highways'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters, released on November 10, 2014, through Roswell and RCA Records. Similar to their previous album, ''Wasting Light'' (2011), it was produced by the band with Butch ...

television mini-series. In 2021, it was announced that the studio's building might be bought by

Arlington County Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

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

scene; producing 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 guitaris ...

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this ...

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that 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 are noted for their style-tr ...

Mary Timony Mary Bozana Timony (born October 17, 1970) is an American independent singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, and violist. She has been a member of the bands Helium, Autoclave and Wild Flag, and currently fronts Ex Hex. Timony's music is o ...

Braid A braid (also referred to as a plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing two or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair. The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strande ...

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, they recorded two demo sessions and the 1980 ''Minor Disturb ...

, and

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

, The Look, and the

Urban Verbs The Urban Verbs was an American new wave band from Washington, D.C. Urban Verbs blended Doors and Talking Heads. The band was fronted by lead singer and lyricist Roddy Frantz and guitarist Robert Goldstein. The duo wrote songs together for over ...

. Andersen, Mark; Jenkins, Mark (

Soft Skull Press Counterpoint LLC was a publishing company distributed by Perseus Books Group launched in 2007. It was formed from the consolidation of three presses: Perseus' Counterpoint Press, Avalon Publishing Group's Shoemaker & Hoard and the independent So ...

, 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. Akashic Books' collection began with Arthur Nersesian's ''The Fuck Up'' in 1997, and has since expanded to include Dennis Cooper's "Little House on the Bowery" series, Chris Abani's Black ...

. . p. 15.

References

External links

*
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