Don Zientara is best known as the owner of Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia. Beginning with Dischord #1 (The Teen Idles "Minor Disturbance" EP), he has worked on most of the label's releases over the past 23 years, including all but one of the Fugazi records. He has engineered hundreds of other sessions and has been instrumental in helping new producers, including J. Robbins (of Jawbox) and Chad Clark (of Beauty Pill and Silver Sonya) get their start.

Inner Ear is a 24-track full service studio, but Zientara decided to record his own music on a one-track reel to reel tape-deck, using no overdubs or effects. The songs are the songs.