Why don’t we start off the week with an Ugly Duckling-esque success story? Everyone likes a good one of those. The Oh Wells started back in high school when Sarah Jickling was the overly shy and awkward girl. Burdened with acne, braces and the inability to look a boy in the eye, I could imagine they would only lead to troublesome situations, if they were not avoided completely. She spent most of her time baking cupcakes, which has become a signature aspect of The Oh Wells’ image. All of this changed one winter break when she decided to start a new band with one of her equally shy friends.
During the break, a few songs were recorded and have made their way onto Myspace. Once school was back in session, The Oh Wells were being approached by school mates they have never talked to before. They began to do shows at school functions, which led to performing at cafes, then to venues where they have previously seen their favourite artists play. From that shy and awkward girl, Sarah Jickling has developed into a confident performer belting out her tunes. How can The Oh Wells not build up a healthy amount of confidence after being the CiTR Shindig winners, an EMP Soundoff finalist and one of The Peak Performance Project’s top 20?
This indie-pop band released an extremely catchy 5-track EP back on November 23, 2011 called Not that Girl from Transformers. The songs could be easily thought of as entries taken straight from The Oh Wells’ open diary. Although the topics of heartbreaks, school crushes and other awkward situations in high school come with a state of uneasiness most of the time, the EP is easy to listen to as you are momentarily placed in Sarah Jickling’s shoes.
On Sunday, January 22nd, The Oh Wells will be on the same bill as Good For Grapes and Young Pacific at the Electric Owl. Below is a video they did with the Green Couch Sessions for the song “Is It Too Late To Apologize”.
Written by Jan Galvez, Fistful of Sound
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