"Do what you love, love what you do."

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Someone said that to me when I was fresh out of college and, even now, I still take it to heart.  It's like when a young John Lennon was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up and he answered "happy", but everyone thought he misunderstood the question.

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My name is Shreepal (pronounced Shri-paul) or "Shreeps" for short.  It's East Indian and means "protector of prosperity". I was born to immigrant parents in New Hampshire and then raised outside of Philadelphia, PA.  I grew up like most American kids, playing Little League, playing video games, and excited for The Simpsons on Sunday evenings. But growing up was also difficult at times - first generation kids live in two worlds & I was no exception.  While I was friendly and well-mannered, I was also shy and often introverted (much different than I am today). There was so much I had to learn and absorb on my own.  To help ease all that angst, I would sing all the time.  Music was something that made me light up and would bring me instant joyfulness! I used to sing so much that I often annoyed my family.

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I began playing guitar late in high school and wrote my first song not long after.  It was not very good and I'm sure it sounded a bit like throwing wet paper towels at the wall.  But as I continued playing, I developed a love for the songwriting process.  A spark of inspiration would become an obsession.  I'd play or sing a new idea over and over just hoping I could unlock something special to move the writing forward.  And then I'd stew over the right words to sing and whether they had the "right stuff".  I loved doing it, but at the time, I never considered it something I would pursue seriously.

After graduating from Emory University and with plans to work in financial advising, I instead enrolled in the Atlanta Institute of Music (AIM) to study guitar performance.  AIM was a sea change and I was definitely out of my element at first.  Everyone was so #@$@ good!  The depth and breadth of talent was astonishing and then there was me, overwhelmed but also falling in love with my instrument at the same time.  I practiced (a lot) and, not long after, I was born anew.  I no longer thought about following financial tickers on screens, I thought about how Hendrix shaped a whole generation's relationship with music and whether I could cop all of Eric Clapton's licks off his famous Bluesbreakers album.  Those few years shaped my whole adult life.

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Singing and performing still brings me the same joy as when I first started playing seriously.  If I put it down for too long, I get restless and feel like something's missing.  So much joy in my life (& yours maybe) has come through music and live performance!

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The first music that really captured me was The Beatles & Michael Jackson, partly because my parents kept a small vinyl collection and I had early exposure to their music.  From there, I developed a love for songwriters and bands like Paul Simon, Tom Petty, Sting & the Police, Peter Gabriel, John Lennon, Dave Matthews, The Grateful Dead, and R.E.M.  I'd try to emulate voices I loved too, like Sam Cooke, James Taylor, Van Morrison, & Robert Plant.  You might hear some of these influences in my own music, but then I'm also the type to find inspiration anywhere.

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 I spent a decade and a half playing gigs around the Atlanta area and honing my skills.  Even all these years later, I'm still booking gigs, writing songs, setting goals, and making even better music! 

I also kept my academic self motivated through all of it and am a licensed attorney, practicing IP & Entertainment Law.  I get to balance my creative and intellectual lives in this amazing, holistic way. 

I hope to see you out at a show sometime or perhaps play a live event for you. To see where I'm playing, check out my Schedule or click Booking to contact me about an available date.  We can schedule anything from a solo acoustic show to a full band. 

If you're curious about the depth of my repertoire (which I believe is more than most musicians in this lane), you can see my Songlist here!​

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Thanks for your support and thanks for supporting live music! 

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