This all started when I saw a post on Facebook looking for musicians to fit a ‘Friday the 13th vibe.’ Being a goth spooky season specialist I was immediately interested and called the number on the listing. I had never heard of the venue, Karma Social in Canton, Ohio. They are currently rebranding to venue as a music venue: The Dive.
My band wasn’t available for the date and I offered a solo performance. The owner, Eric was initially interested in only booking bands for this show but called me back and offered me an opening spot. I was excited just to be a part of the show and I accepted.
This is a glimpse of all the chaos that goes on the day of a gig with a full-time job. I support myself and my music addiction by working as a veterinary assistant. I have been working in the field on and off for the majority of my life. It’s an industry with a high burn-out rate so I have been in and out as I continue my quest to find the fabled work-life balance, or for me it’s a work-life-artist balance or imbalance—it depends on how things go day to day!
My ultimate goal is to earn enough from my musical and creative endeavors to not only support myself but to give to veterinary care charities. I enjoy helping animals in need. I am currently working for a nonprofit spay and neuter clinic.
On this day I was responsible for patient recovery which is not an easy task. I cannot leave or take a break at any given time. I must remain at my post as I am responsible for ensuring every animal recovers from surgery and initiate emergency care if needed.
It was a long exhausting shift and I was very hungry, dirty, and sore. I am also responsible for triage calls so I had my daily meeting with our medical director to resolve postoperative concerns. On Friday this is usually frustrating as clients are making last minute requests before the weekend.
After escaping work I rush home and start getting ready. I walk my dogs, eat, shower, get my makeup on, print my setlist, and load up the car. We had an hour drive so we had to get moving!
The Dive is a small venue in Canton, Ohio. The staff were very welcoming. The stage was new and everything sounded great. We enjoyed meeting the bands: Chaos Eater, Wendy’s Ash, and Orion’s Sword. I saw Type O Negative shirts, stickers, and tattoos!
I was very grateful to have had conversations with everyone. Thank you for your support!! It was a great night!
I was invited back with my full band. We will have to figure out dates!
I’m still working on the album which we made a lot of progress on last week. I am also in the process of making new merch as we are sold out, we’ve only got two shirts left so it’s time to reprint!
The album art is still underway along with costumes and preparations for music videos!
There’s a lot of cool things going on behind the scenes!!
Stay tuned for more updates!
✨🖤✨
Judy June of Glass Aeros