2021 Reflection

To NWN customers, friends, family, and business partners,

As Otento-san turns on its axis and resets the clock, the team at NWN! reflects on the accomplishments and struggles over the past year. We would also like to thank all of you for supporting us through these odd times.

2021 was a year of enormous changes for NWN, both physically and spiritually. We moved our family and NWN operations from our long time base in the SF Bay Area to Austin Texas. The difficult decision to move came as a result of the pandemic, economics, and family needs. Once decided, we mobilized quickly to raise the funds, figure out the logistics, find a new warehouse and house; we worked relentlessly through 2020 and H1 2021 to finally execute the mission in July 2021. It was a Herculean feat to move an entire 5000 sq ft warehouse full of records and furniture 1700 miles to a city that we had only visited two times prior. In fact, we hadn’t seen the warehouse prior to moving! We hit the ground running and haven’t stopped running ever since. Online operations were restarted only two weeks after moving, and Eastern Front Records was reopened less than a month later. We have big plans for 2022 and beyond in terms of releases, gigs, metal markets, etc. Gigs are already schedule for Q1 and partnerships with other organizers are already in the works. Many NWN releases, new and old, are already in production. Unfortunately global vinyl production has become completely bogged down by several factors including high demand from the mainstream music industry, supply chain issues, and the ongoing pandemic restrictions (no flights means more expensive freight). Despite these challenges, we will do our best to provide you with the best music from the metal underground as we have always done. We thrive under pressure and find meaning in our struggles. Never Surrender is the only law!

Special thanks to Alex for his great support through the entire transition. We could not have prepared 50 pallets and almost died in the process without you! Also thanks to Cody F. for his great sacrifices and help during the transition.

Hails to our friends from the bay area. Get your asses over to Austin!

Thanks again for your support in 2021.

Best regards and Happy New Year,

YK/NWN Crew