Don Zientara and Howard Wuelfing are both figures deeply connected to the Washington D.C. underground and punk music scene, though they contributed in different primary capacities.
Don Zientara is the founder and long-time operator of Inner Ear Studios and is credited with capturing the raw energy and DIY spirit of countless D.C. bands, including:
Minor Threat
Fugazi
Bad Brains
Rites of Spring
And many other artists on the Dischord Records label. He is also a musician, and was a member of the band **Underheaven** (where he played with Howard Wuelfing).
Howard Wuelfing
An influential figure as a music journalist, publicist, and musician.
He was a music writer for major publications like Creem and The Village Voice. Crucially, he published the influential D.C.-based fanzines $Descenes** (local D.C. punk/new wave) and Discords (national coverage).
Descenes and Discords: An Anthology, a book compiling these fanzines, was released recently.
He has been an active musician, primarily as a **bassist and vocalist**, in several D.C.-area bands, including:
The Slickee Boys
Half Japanese
The Nurses
Underheaven** (where he played with Don Zientara)
Public Relations: He later worked in public relations for Columbia Records and eventually started his own independent PR firm, Howlin' Wuelf Media.
