ABOUT
BIOGRAPHY
'Phenomenal.'
Dave Lapp - All Things Awesome
'The perfectionist violinist. Nothing more can beat this.
His latest masterpiece..truly amazing and a classical play.
Two thumbs up!''
One Avenue - San Francisco
Only once in a while comes along an artist that really breaks the boundaries and challenges the status quo within their genre or chosen instrument. 'It's not about being the best. Instead it's about being the best at what makes you unique,' said Scheppel in an interview with OneAvenue, San Francisco (2015).
This is a story of a exceptional classical boy turning into a rock rebel, stretching the boundaries and sound of violin playing to new horizons and in the process establishing himself as one of the pioneers of this new era in string playing and rock music as a genre.
Known as a stickler for perfection, calculating every fill and solo during songwriting and recording sessions, Scheppel fuses classical, celtic, hard rock and dubstep seamlessly together to create a varied yet unique 'Scheppel' sound. His live show is a total different story: informal, energetic, manic soloing and virtuosity that showcases his classical roots coupled with various techniques and a wide range of heavier genres.
'After a strict classical childhood that included recitals, universities, scholarships and competitions from South Africa to Germany, I eventually discovered the world of rock and roll, and the rest, well, is history.'
Scheppel was awarded a scholarship from Prof. Stefans Grove and Alexander Johnson to study composition at the University of Pretoria and was immediately promoted to third year in most of his subjects. In the same year made his conducting debut with the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra, Pretoria Sinfonia, KZN Philharmonic and Cape Town Philharmonic. Scheppel also studied with Profs. Chris Walton (Cambridge), Walter Money (LSO Principal, Prof Emeritus), Berhard Gueler (Novia Scotia), En Chao (BBC Philharmonic), Charl du Toit (Orchestre National de France, Solistes de Paris) and Gerard Korsten (La Scala, Chamber Orchestra of Europe).
Fast-forward seven years later and you'll find a personal music playlist that spans from AC/DC, Avenge Sevenfold and Megadeath to Lindsey Stirling, Zac Brown and Beethoven.
In 2016 Scheppel was invited to collaborate on the Metal All-Star Vivaldi Metal Project and worked with Guiseppe Lampieri (Mistheria), Sir Rick Wakeman, Alberto Ragioni, Rob Rock (Impelliteri), Mark Boals (Malmsteen), Michael Leopold (Symphony X), Steve di Georgio (Testament), Tommy Denader (Radioactive), Fabio Lione (Angra), John Macaluso (Ark), Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork), Chris Cafferty (Savatage), Rolf Jolie (Stratovarious), Mark Cross (Scorpions), Ruud Jolie (Within Temptaion), the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Mark Wood, Sinfonietta Consonus (Poland), Academic Choir Angel Manolof (Bulgaria) and the Chamber Choir Ivan Filipovic (Croatia).
In 2021 Scheppel signed an exclusive multi-album deal with Universal Music Group and released his first single Thunderstruck.
When not touring or recording Scheppel tend to spend his time in South Africa, driving 4x4 trails, reading Lee Child and watching Youtube. With a summer tour planned in 2017 to North America and Asia, Scheppel is bound to stoke a fire of a new revolution. The era of Van Halen is back.
Or to quote Scheppel: 'Violinists and cellists. It's the last remaining rock frontier.'