Whistler to welcome Juno-nominated band Wild Rivers

The members of Wild Rivers, Devan Glover, Khalid Yassein and Andrew Oliver, know how to pick their heroes.

Glover states in a press release they all "converge on the classic songwriters," names like Elton John, Neil Young, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell. Their contemporary influences run the gamut from indie and pop to R&B and hip hop: genres in which many artists pay homage to different eras. 

"We started as more of an acoustic based, kind of a folk-y project, but over the years we've developed our sound so it's turned into a rock show," Yassein explains. "All of us are great friends, so oftentimes we're just trying to have fun and make each other laugh. That's created an awesome atmosphere where the show feels very casual … we always want to let our audience in on our vibe and make fun of ourselves while also making very serious, sad music at points.

"The most important [questions] since we started this band are: did this [song] work if we sing it on a piano or an acoustic guitar? What stories do we want to tell? What is true to our heart and feels authentic? That's a critical piece for us." 

Wild Rivers has come out with four albums to date: a self-titled debut work in 2016, the critically acclaimed Sidelines in 2022, and the closely-related offerings Never Better and Better Now from last summer. They were nominated for Breakthrough Group of the Year at the 2023 Juno Awards, while their hit single "Thinking 'Bout Love" is certified platinum in Canada (gold in the United States and Australia). 

In spite of all that, and 850 million global streams to boot, the members of Wild Rivers do not lose sight of why they choose to be performers. 

"What we care about is making great music that we all, first and foremost, really love," remarks Yassein. "We've gotten to cross some cool accolades off the bucket list, but I think the most meaningful thing is that we can play shows all around the world. We try to keep it to the human aspect as opposed to awards and streams…of course we're grateful for it, but our goal is always to be in a room with people and sing songs with them." 

'Three people messing around, trying to make something inspiring'

Yassein, a half-Egyptian man born in Canada, met former London, England resident Glover at the University of Kingston in 2013. Later on, they brought the versatile multi-instrumentalist Oliver into their fold. 

"I was a little folksy emo songwriter and [Devan] was the precocious singer. She has a really strong vision of what she wants the sound to be," says Yassein. "Over the years, all of us have crossed over roles … it's less of a traditional band setup and more of three people messing around, trying to make something inspiring. 

"Andrew is a jack of all trades. He loves making weird sounds and is an amazing guitar player. Me and him have really complimentary styles where I'm pretty technical, and Andrew's kind of the rock star that will … waltz in the room and deliver a scorching solo. He's our Swiss army knife." 

The trio believes they've grown leaps and bounds in their ability to connect with fans. Even opening for artists like Noah Kahan and The Chicks now feels routine in a good way: it's a job they love and know how to do. When musicians get comfortable spending time with each other in the green room, inviting an audience to join in the fun feels natural. 

Whistler for them is a novel locale—and an exciting one. 

"We have family in B.C. and we visited Whistler, but never [played there]. We're so excited," Yassein says. "I've actually never seen it in the summer. We used to do a yearly performance in Collingwood, Ont. and that was one of our favourite gigs. I feel like [Whistler] will just be like a bigger, better version of it, with an actual mountain instead of a tiny little hill.

"We love Western Canada. Every time we get a chance to go there, we have awesome shows. I mean: what's not to love playing music outside in a beautiful mountain town? I think we're going to try to do some hiking and really enjoy it. If you want to have a good time and talk about your feelings, come to the show." 

Fans can expect Wild Rivers to churn out some new material in the next few months, including some tracks that diverge from their usual style. 

DJ Peacefrog will start the party on July 4 at 6:30 p.m. in Olympic Plaza. Glover, Yassein and Oliver are set to begin at 7:30 p.m. For more details visit whistler.com/events/concerts.