MEET SHREEPS
"Do what you love, love what you do."
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
Thanks for your support and thanks for supporting live music!
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