Thursday, August 15 • 7 PM
The Historic Market Hall
The Peterborough Folk Festival is gearing up for a big bash, celebrating 35 years in 2024 with a kick-off concert you won’t want to miss! Headlining the festivities is the platinum-selling indie trio, Wild Rivers. This dynamic group, featuring Khalid Yassein (guitar, vocals, keys), Devan Glover (vocals), and Andrew Oliver (lead guitar, synths), has a knack for crafting introspective lyrics and genre-fluid melodies that resonate with wisdom well beyond their years.
Since their 2022 album, Sidelines, which hit #9 on the U.S. Spotify Debut Album Chart, Wild Rivers has been riding a wave of success. They’ve toured with The Chicks across North America, watched their 2020 breakout single “Thinking ‘Bout Love” go Gold in Australia and Platinum in Canada, and sold out headline tours in North America and Europe. With over 450 million streams and 4 million monthly listeners, they even snagged a nomination for Breakthrough Group of the Year at the 2023 JUNO Awards. And guess what? They’re not slowing down anytime soon! With new music on the horizon and a European tour with Noah Kahan lined up, 2024 is set to be another banner year for the trio.
Wild Rivers first caught audiences’ attention with their perfectly blended harmonies and soul-searching lyrics on their 2016 self-titled debut album. They followed up with two EPs—2018’s Eighty-Eight and 2020’s Songs To Break Up To. Their sophomore album, Sidelines, captured the transition from college life to the mysterious realm of adulthood. Co-produced by Peter Katis (known for his work with The National, Interpol, and Sharon van Etten), the album was recorded across Connecticut, Los Angeles, and Khalid and Devan’s college town of Kingston, Ontario. The band’s journey is all about embracing the unknown. Born in Canada, Khalid, who is half-Egyptian, and Devan, who spent her early years in London, England, before moving back to Canada, first crossed paths at Queen’s University in Kingston in 2013. What started as an acoustic singer-songwriter duo evolved into a rich, full-bodied sound with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Andrew, affectionately dubbed their “Swiss army knife” by Khalid.
Wild Rivers’ sound is a delightful mix of pop, rock, indie, and folk. Devan explains, “We all converge on the classic songwriters—Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles, and Elton John. Today, our influences span indie, hip hop, R&B, and pop. Even in those genres, most artists are referencing another era of music, which we think is really cool. We love to pull our favorite parts from every genre, patch them together, and see what works and feels good.”
To further expand their sonic horizons, Wild Rivers have been co-writing with MyRiot (Aurora, IDER, Halsey) and enlisted Gabe Wax (Soccer Mommy, Kurt Vile, Adrienne Lenker, Jeremy Zucker) to produce their upcoming record. Building an authentic relationship with fans while channeling classic singer-songwriters and contemporary artists like Samia, Holly Humberstone, and Noah Kahan has been key to Wild Rivers’ connection with audiences.
Get ready for an unforgettable night of music as Wild Rivers takes the stage at the Peterborough Folk Festival’s 35th anniversary celebration!
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