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Chasing her dream By Lori Copler Glencoe native Chris Bargmann It took Chris Bargmann awhile to get going on her life's dream - but now she's on the fast track. The 31-year-old Glencoe native has dreamed of being a performing artist/singer since the age of about 4, she said. "It's always been music," Bargmann said. But it took her a long time to build up the courage to chase her dream. While she loved music, Bargmann just didn't think "I could do it." She never took choir or band in school. But at the age of about 13 or 14, Bargmann began toying with her brother's guitar. But she never took lessons, teaching herself as she went along. She didn't think she could sing, either. In fact, when Bargmann tried to sing along while playing her guitar, "it just didn't work. It was like I couldn't do both at the same time." But Bargmann still wanted to do something with music, so she went to college for audio production. From there, she earned an internship at the Gingko Coffee House in St. Paul, where she ran the sound board for performing artists. "I watched those shows for about two years, and I'd go outside on break and think 'I could do this,'" Bargmann said. "Finally, one day, I just decided to put my money where my mouth is." So Bargmann performed at an open-mic night, and "now, I'm like a freight train." She composes and performs her own songs, and recorded a CD of her own music. Bargmann tried to sell about 200 of the CDs to earn enough money to get it professionally mastered, which she did. Unfortunately, Bargmann jokes, she may have maxed out her own market with the preliminary CDs. "People think they already have the music, but they don't," Bargmann said. "The mastered CD is so much better." Bargmann has a photographer friend, Shar Tordsen, to help with artwork for her CD and website (www.broomhilda music.com) as well as graphic artist friend Jessica Bolland. "I've decided that if I treat this like a job, it will become a job," said Bargmann. Watching and tracking the musicians at the coffee house gave Bargmann the knowledge she needed to begin finding her own venues. Basically, Bargmann laughs, she just makes a pest of herself until someone breaks down and allows her to open for them or sing in their coffee houses or other venues. Bargmann has recently performed in Mankato and Zumbrota, and will be performing in Minnehaha Falls and Milwaukee. Her schedule can be found on her website, as well as downloadable versions of her music. Along with performing around the country (Bargmann doesn't want to get pigeonholed as a regional artist), she has connected up with CD Baby, a company that helps get her music out to others .... For example, Bargmann's songs are now on the popular Web music store iTunes. This week, she is taking another major step - Bargmann is quitting her day job to "go on tour. Basically, I'm just going to drive around and sing." Or, as Bargmann's website sums up about pursuing her dream, "I will not settle for anything less." Content © 2011 McLeod County Chronicle Software © 1998-2011 1up! Software, All Rights Reserved - Glencoe Chronicle
"Chris Bargmann (Chris B!) is so generous with her voice, guitar and heart. She has a strong earthy voice accompanied by a guitar sound that is warm and engaging, like an animated conversationalist whose really loose and comfortable. She manages to shift between strumming and picking confidently while carrying the listener along."_ Kaia Fowler (singer-songwriter, WI) - Kaia Fowler
Discography
It Was You
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Bio
After spending 16 years of her life as a "closet musician," Chris finally found the courage to get up on stage in early 2010. She recorded her first full-length album “It Was You” the following summer.
Having had no formal training, everything she knows about playing and writing has been self-taught. Much of what she knows has been picked up from going to a ton of concerts and really listening to the music and watching how other people do it.
Chris graduated from Hennepin Technical College in Eden Prairie, MN with an A.A.S. degree in audio production in the Spring of 2009 and spent time booking shows and running sound around Minneapolis/St. Paul and “studying the masters” as she says. She has also done some work with Minnesota Public Radio Classical and is a partner in a recording company that specializes in small venue on-location recordings.
Music has always been a part of her life however, in her words, she never really knew what she wanted to do with that passion. After exploring many different angles she recently admitted to herself that what she really wanted was to be a "traveling musician" writing and performing her own stories. That is what she has been doing.
In her short time since entering the musician world she has graced stages at both Milwaukee and Twin Cities Pridefest’s. Performed for OutFront MN and ADA Tour DeCure. Opened on multiple occasions for Claudia Schmidt, Pamela Means and Nervous but Excited to name a few. She didn’t waste any time “hitting the road” and has been traveling around the country since July 2010 getting the word out about her life and music the old fashioned way – face-to-face.
For Chris, it is her sincere hope that someone will take from her music what they need to, when they need to. Her stories are heart-felt and personal. She says, “music has been for me; a shoulder to lean on, encouragement to get through the tough times, an aid in celebration, a best friend. Now it is my turn to give it back. This is the thought that finally got me on stage - and this will be the thought that keeps me going.” Chris B!
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