After a decade spent as a decorated live rock guitarist, sharing stages with artists spanning the music industry, such as Portugal. The Man, The Steve Miller Band, The Village People, Sean Kingston, and everywhere from The Vans Warped Tour to the Grand Ole Opry, singer-guitarist Mikei Gray had something different in mind when he started The Frst, in 2017. “Freedom and fun were the goals with this project,” says Gray, “So as a mission statement there is no I in The Frst.”
Gray and his ever rotating cast of accompanying Nashville music heroes (including members of Sleeping With Sirens, Taking Back Sunday, and Insane Clown Posse) spent much of 2017 touring the length of the US, from Key West, FL to Niagara Falls, NY.
Anthemic protest against distracted driving "Another One" was named "The Best Road Rage Song Since The Offspring" by Alan Cross, while "Cycles" reached 6 on Soundcloud’s USA Rock Chart in January 2019, paving the way for “Seven Eleven” to debut at 2 on the same chart, earning The Frst a Twitter shoutout from Blink-182 drummer, Travis Barker, as well as a spot on Loudwire’s coveted Spotify playlist, next to Iggy Pop, and The Struts. Since then, The Frst has attracted the attention of industry heavyweights such as Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst, Multi-Platinum producer Howard Benson, and AFI's Jade Puget, among others.
Soaring melodies and driving rock & roll are on display throughout, evidence that The Frst's experience with some of the industry's top names has bred an eclectic range of influences, nods to hard rock, pop and hip-hop all shining through.
With James Paul Wisner (Paramore, Dashboard Confessional) and Andy Van Dette (The Beastie Boys, David Bowie) behind the controls, The Frst's anthemic and urgent rock tunes come to life, brimming with heart and urgency.