FIRST THE WINTER

First the Winter is an acoustic folk rock duo hailing from the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. Heavily influenced by singer-songwriters like Damien Rice and Glen Hansard, much of their music presents a raw, somewhat dark view of love and relationships.

The duo is comprised of Jimmy Stewart and Aili Emilia, who began writing and playing together in Minneapolis in the summer of 2015. Their music is laden with stark contrasts: delicate fingerpicking and sweeping cello gives way to pounding drums and haunting vocalizations. Their live shows are a dynamic mix of guitar, keyboard, violin, and dual vocalists, often employing live looping between different instruments to create sweeping, orchestral sounds with a massive sonic range.