Donald Wiening

When Don picked up his first guitar, he realized there was no turning back.  Initially trained as a classical musician and composer, he now embraced hard rock with a vengeance.  He co-founded several influential bands including Dead Smurf, Stainless Steel and pH1 to explore the nuances of heavy metal and prog rock, recording a number of notable singles including Axe Murderer, Pain, Heretic and Epileptic Seizure in D Minor before moving to Germany to broaden his musical and cultural horizons.  Upon his return to the USA, he performed in a series of iconic bands such as The Clap, Stonewall and WAYTTS while continuing his work as a studio musician, teaming up with his brother Jon to compose and record two critically acclaimed rock operas, Trinity and The Man, as well as several solo metal recordings including Burning for You, Killing Man, and Eye of the Serpent.

Don then returned to Europe, living and working for several years in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein and traveling extensively throughout the region.  It was during this time that he gained an appreciation of Middle Eastern and Eastern European culture and musical styles, which have strongly influenced his subsequent works.  Finally returning to the USA in 2001, he spent several years as a solo artist before joining Dream Riders in 2011 as a founder, songwriter and producer.