The Clock Out Lounge Hosts Legends, Horns, and Strong Salute To The Seattle Sound

Editor Cindy-C

The truly unique nature of the Seattle Music Scene was in full force at the Clock-Out Lounge on 13 April 2019.

It was on that night, three distinct and powerful bands played their hearts out for an enthusiastic crowd. MKB Ultra, Actionesse, and Ten Miles Wide gave it their all, and left Seattle Music fans with a diverse experience like no other!

It was also a night for legends.

The event was used to celebrate the musical talent of the late Shawn Smith – who had passed one week earlier. A toast to Shawn was made late in the evening to a musician who never wanted the fame of the Grunge era, even though he was an integral part of the sound we’ve come to love. In addition to the night’s memorial, a name that goes hand in hand with the “Seattle Sound”, famed Seattle producer, engineer and musician (most notably with Skin Yard to name a few), his name…..Jack Endino. Jack is also well known for producing Nirvana’s first album “Bleach”.

MKB Ultra opened the show; their artistic and experimental sounds were heavy on eastern influence, fuzzy guitar riffs, and haunting harmonies. The band consists of Mia Katherine Boyle, Jack Endino, 5-Track, Patrick James Lenon, and Laura Weller Vanderpool. The sound which grew and flourished in the region wove its way through many of the songs. Their emphasis on a groove, made it clear; their sound is from here.

Second on stage was Actionesse, which brought the biggest surprise to the venue: Brass! Band members are Jimmy Colven, Paddy Moran, Ian Reed, Olivia Guinn, and Joel Kenworthy.

The group took the classic ensemble of Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire, and Tower Of Power and made it their own.

Actionesse mixed frantic stage antics, unique time signatures, metal undertones, trombone, and saxophone to create a diverse spectacle of entertainment! Who else could do this? NO ONE!

The band finished their set by lining up on stage, to make their shirts spell out “We Don’t Take Ourselves Seriously.” Love it!

—“Ten Miles Wide has a signature sound that’s truly hard to create. It takes years to acquire and some never get there! Ten Miles Wide has arrived!” ~ Cindy Cavins – Nehi Stripes Musiczine

Closing out the night was Ten Miles Wide, whose members include Johndus Beckman, Shane Smith, Will Andrews, and Jake Carden.

This was Shane’s first performance with the band and he was able to dive right into their heavy growling songs. Johndus brought out vocals soaked in raw emotion while backing up Jake’s fiery lead guitar work.

Will Andrews, a veteran local musician, operated the drum kit with fluid precision. He and Johndus have played together forever – feeding off each nuance, twitch and stage movement to provide an emotional musical ride.

Ten Miles Wide is always a fan favorite – a band that will always have an enthusiastic crowd following them, from venue to venue. When Johndus lays his hand-written lyrics out on the stage, the crowd knows it will be a fantastic show!

The fans at this event were enthusiastic for ALL the music they heard. I was too. This was my first visit to Clock-Out; Beacon Hill is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Seattle. The Seattle Sound is sure to live on at this venue, and in the bands who bore their souls to us all on that stage.

Kudos to the bands and the fans, for making this such a memorable night!