Don Zientara

Don Zientara
Genres	Rock, hardcore punk, post-hardcore, post-punk, art rock, alternative rock
Occupation	producer
Years active	1978–present
Website	innerearstudio.com

Don Zientara (/ˌzɪnˈtɛərə/) 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 other Dischord Records artists. Don Zientara started out in Rochester, New York, a child on St. Stanislaus St. in the Polish section of town. Eastman Kodak was booming, Xerox was quickly coming on the scene, and the city was in its heyday. His parents were working class – mother was a hairdresser, father was a factory worker at Kodak. St. Stanislaus Elementary School provided his education kindergarten through grade eight. His brother, four years his junior, was his only sibling. It was in those years he took up guitar lessons, and was very adept at reading and playing. Then he stopped out of boredom, and it took two years to return to the guitar, egged on by a friend who taught him to play by ear. That was the ticket! He was a natural player by listening! After that, he became a student at Bishop Kearney High School, where he was firmly established “middle of the pack” grade-wise. The guitar playing continued, bands came and went, and all was well. Friends who knew electronics helped him build guitar amps and speaker cabinets. Thos friends went on to become rocket scientists and researchers for Xerox. In 1966 he started his art education at Syracuse University. There he learned he wasn’t a great art student, but tried hard. Playing in several bands kept his guitar chops up. He graduated in 1970 with a BFA – just in time for the first draft lottery! We have a winner here – Number one! So eluding his Army physical by bouncing between Rochester and graduate school at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, he held out until the summer of ’71. While he was at Syracuse and graduate school at West Virginia he became involved with liturgical music and performance. There was one young priest he became friends with, but the end of the school year cut it short. At that point, he noticed that the Army was allowing enlistees to get guaranteed training in many areas, one of them being Electronics. Since he was sure of being drafted, he chose enlisting with a guaranteed training – something he had always wanted to learn more about. So in September 1971 he started Basic Training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. After finishing, next was his electronic training at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. Arriving at Fort Monmouth, he was told there was a little waith to begin the school. Days dragged into weeks, and weeks dragged into more than a month, when finally he was called into the headquarters office. The electronics school was getting a lot of men (and women), but the Army would honor its commitment….. or, would he like to paint and draw at an Army base in Alexandria, Virginia instead? Electronics school was tempting, but after training there was no guarantee the Army would place you in the job you were trained for. Most likely, for electronics specialists that meant repairing communications equipment in the fields of Viet Nam. After thinking it over for a good ten seconds, he chose the U.S. Army Recruiting Support Center in Alexandria, Virginia. There he painted, drew, framed various pieces, and lived the life of an (Army) artist at Cameron Station. And, of course, played in bands. Cameron Station in Alexandria was just a short hop from Washington, D.C., And that was where his priest friend from West Virginia was going after they parted. So, Don tried to find him and connect. As it worked out, this priest left the order and went back to New York City, but the people that he

Zientara released four albums of music on the Northern Liberties label. Music by Zientara has also been released by Crooked Beat Records in Alexandria, Virginia. He contributed four songs to “A Bang On The Ear,” released in 2016 for Record Store Day. He also contributed to “Recutting The Crap, Volume One,” a tribute to The Clash released by Crooked Beat Records.

Production credits

Zientara's production/engineering credits include the following:

• Minor Threat – Minor Threat (1981)
• Government Issue – Legless Bull (1981)
• Void/Faith – Void/Faith split (1982)
• No Trend - Teen Love (1982)
• Scream – Still Screaming (1983)
• Minor Threat – Out of Step (1983)
• No Trend – Too Many Humans..... (1983)
• Government Issue – Boycott Stabb (1983)
• United Mutation – Fugitive Family (1983)
• Faith – Subject to Change (1983)
• Marginal Man – Identity (1984)
• Minor Threat – Salad Days (1985)
• The Neighbors – Famous Potatoes (1985)
• Scream – This Side Up (1985)
• Rites of Spring – Rites of Spring (1985)
• Reptile House – I Stumble As The Crow Flies (1985)
• Dag Nasty – Can I Say (1986)
• Egg Hunt – "Me and You" (1986)
• Gray Matter – Take it Back (1986)
• The Neighbors – Welcome Wagon (1986)
• Embrace – Embrace (1987) [above source lists 1985]
• Rites of Spring – All Through a Life (1987)
• Solution Unknown – Karen (1987)
• Soulside – Less Deep Inside Keeps (1987)
• Shudder to Think – It Was Arson (1988)
• Half Japanese - Charmed Life (1988)
• Fugazi – 13 Songs (1989)
• Fugazi – Repeater (1990)
• Jawbox – Jawbox (1990)
• Shudder to Think – Ten Spot (1991)
• Jawbox – Grippe (1991)
• Fugazi – Steady Diet of Nothing (1991)
• Nation of Ulysses – 13-Point Program to Destroy America (1991)
• Skewbald/Grand Union - Skewbald/Grand Union (EP) (1991)
• Jawbox – Tongues (1992)
• Circus Lupus – Super Genius (1992)
• Lungfish – Talking Songs for Walking
• Shudder to Think – Get Your Goat (1992)
• Gray Matter – Thog (1992)
• Jawbox – Novelty (1992)
• Fugazi – In on the Kill Taker (1993)
• Nation of Ulysses – Plays Pretty for Baby (1993)
• Scream – Fumble (1993)
• Slant 6 – What Kind of Monster Are You (1993)
• Ignition – Complete Services (1994)
• Lungfish – "Pass and Stow" (1994)
• SPUR- Get Your Way (1995)
• Fugazi – Red Medicine (1995)
• Assalti Frontali – Conflitto (1996)
• Bluetip – Dischord No. 101 (1996)
• Bad Brains – Black Dots (1996)
• The Warmers – The Warmers (1996)
• Lungfish – "Indivisible" (1997)
• SPUR - Moon Doggies (1997)
• Fugazi – End Hits (1998)
• The Decepticonz - "Rot Your Brain" (1998)
• Lungfish – The Unanimous Hour (1999)
• One Last Wish – '1986 (1999)
• Fugazi – Instrument Soundtrack (1999)
• Faraquet – The View from This Tower (2000)
• Q and Not U – No Kill No Beep Beep (2000)
• Fugazi – Furniture + 2 (2001)
• Fugazi – The Argument (2001)
• Q and Not U – On Play Patterns (2002)
• Q and Not U – Different Damage (2003)
• John Frusciante – DC EP (2004)
• The Evens – '12 Songs (2005)
• Joe Lally – There to Here (2006)
• The Evens – Get Evens (2006)
• End of a Year - Sincerely (2006)
• Joe Lally – Nothing is Underrated (2007)
• Twin Earth – Extended Play Demonstration (2008)
• Dag Nasty – Dag with Shawn (2010)
• Möbius Strip – Escalate. (2011)
• Cinema Cinema - Shoot the Freak (2011)
• Cinema Cinema – Manic Children and The Slow Aggression (2012)
• Möbius Strip – Step Down (2013)
• Marc Ganancias – Policy of Discontent (2013) – engineering, production, additional guitars
• Braddock Station Garrison - High Water (2013)
• Möbius Strip – Palabras Podridas (2014)
• Fellowcraft - Get Up Young Phoenix (2016)
• Möbius Strip – There is No Silver Lining (2016)
• Lisa Said– No Turn Left Behind (2016)
• Staunton – Inside Out (unreleased) (2016)
• Braddock Station Garrison - Saint Stephanie and the Stones (2017)
• Braddock Station Garrison - American Radio (2019)