Join us for a book talk about The Inner Ear of Don Zientara: A Half Century of Recording in One of America’s Most Innovative Studios, Through the Voices of Musicians by Antonia Tricarico. Antonia Tricarico, Don Zientara, and special guest Joe Lally will be in conversation for the event. This in-person event will be cosponsored by WTJU and will be free and open to the public. We recommend arriving early for the best seating.
About the Book: Inner Ear Studio is best known for recording iconic DC punk musicians Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Bikini Kill, Rites of Spring, Mary Timony, Fugazi, and others. The Inner Ear of Don Zientara is an oral history of not just Inner Ear’s recordings, but also of the role that founder Don Zientara played in creating one of the most welcoming and nurturing recording studios the world over. Alongside 250 photographs, the volume includes testimonials from members of Fugazi, Scream, Fire Party, Shudder to Think, Jawbox, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Dismemberment Plan, as well as musicians like Kathleen Hanna and Henry Rollins, among other notables.
In addition to DC punk bands, Don also recorded many other styles and genres, including Celtic folk tunes, harp music, Russian balalaika groups, political advertisers, and choral singers. The studio was also featured on Dave Grohl’s Sonic Highways television miniseries. The Inner Ear of Don Zientara pays tribute to this iconic studio, celebrating the man at the heart of this remarkable space.
About Antonia Tricarico: Antonia Tricarico worked as a photo archivist for Lucian Perkins (a Pulitzer Prize–winning Washington Post photographer) and has collaborated with Tolotta Records, Dischord Records, Kill Rock Stars, and Youth Action Research Group. Her work can be found in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History and in the permanent punk and go-go music exhibit and archive of the Special Collections Division of the District of Columbia at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. Her photos have appeared in Photo Review, Guitar World, Kerrang!, Razorcake, and Fretboard Journal. She is the creator of The Inner Ear of Don Zientara and Frame of Mind: Punk Photos and Essays from Washington, DC, and Beyond, 1997–2017.
About Don Zientara: In the late 1970s, Don Zientara—a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War—founded Inner Ear Studio in the basement of his home in Arlington, Virginia, using the electronics training he received from the Army. Inner Ear became best known for recording iconic DC punk musicians including Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Bikini Kill, Rites of Spring, Mary Timony, and Fugazi.
About Joe Lally: Joe Lally plays bass guitar and is a founding member of Fugazi, Messthetics, Ataxia (with John Frusciante), and Coriky. He lives in Washington, DC.
The Inner Ear of Don Zientara will be released on June 6. To order the book, please see below for the New Dominion Bookshop book order form or call the shop at 434-295-2552.
"If Memphis rock-and-roll had Sun Studio, and the Beatles had London’s Abbey Road, DC punk had Inner Ear."
—The Washington Post
New Dominion Bookshop Book Order Form
Shop local and support your community bookstore! Order books from New Dominion Bookshop by filling out the contact form below. Please make sure that you list the book title(s) that you would like to order. We will give you a call when your order is ready. If you are placing a pre-order for a book that has not yet been released, your book will be ready on or soon after the book’s release date. There is no need to pre-pay. We will collect your payment when you pick up your order or when your order is shipped. If you would like your book(s) to be signed and/or inscribed, please include that information in the “Message for Our Booksellers” field.