Wall of Sound Rocked by Earthquake

March 1 -- SEATTLE — As many readers have pointed out, Wall of Sound did not publish new content on Wednesday, Feb. 28, as it normally does each afternoon.

The reason why, in case you missed the news, is that the Pacific Northwest, including Wall of Sound, was rattled by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake at 10:55 a.m. PST.

Many staff members dove under desks or into doorways before realizing that those measures might not provide sufficient protection if the venerable, 87-year-old Smith Tower came down. Though the building was completely evacuated 20 minutes after the temblor, most Wall of Sound staffers, whose offices are on the third floor of the 42-floor tower, had evacuated themselves much earlier.

No injuries were reported at Smith Tower, though it remained closed for the remainder of the day (as did most of Seattle's downtown). The building was deemed safe Wednesday evening, and the staff reluctantly resumed work this morning.

For the record, many staffers met up for drinks soon after the quake.