Gypsy Soul / June 7th, 2008 / The Triple Door / Seattle, WA

During Gypsy Soul’s sound check, I overheard one half of the musical duo, Roman Morykit describing to the sound engineer the type of intimate stage presentation that he and Cilette Swann (the other half of Gypsy Soul), wanted to achieve during their performance. Morkykit and Swann, who were joined on stage by two other fabulous musicians, cellist Traci Hoveskeland, and percussionist T.J. Morris, put on what can only be described as a spectacular performance at Seattle, Washington’s The Triple Door on Saturday, June 7^th.

Swann, originally from Canada, and Morykit originally from England, now live in Ashland, Oregon, although it was evident from the packed dinner theater, that they had built a strong fan base during the years they lived in the state of Washington.  This was the fifth time Gypsy Soul played The Triple Door, and although some, artists become complacent when they get numerous repeat invitations to play the same venue, that certainly cannot be said for Gypsy Soul.

Gypsy Soul opened the first of two sets with, Swann’s hauntingly, beautiful, soprano vocals singing the words to their original tune, “Who.”  Swann’s ethereal voice created an enchanting ambience, while Morykit’s virtuoso guitar playing was spellbinding, despite the fact that one of his strings broke in the middle of the song.  Hoveskeland used an upbow stroke gave her cello a voice which enhanced an already magical experience. The beauty of the song “Who,” defies accurate description, and you should really dial into Gypsy Soul’s myspace site, where you can listen to this incredible tune.

“Who,” was followed by the song “Silver Lining,” on which Morykit played the steel guitar and drummer Morris played gently using only wire brushes. Swann’s vocals were wistful as the singer contemplates the things that she still wishes for, and at the same time remains grateful, for all of which life has brought to her. The song serves as a reminder, that in the midst of our sometimes too busy lives, or difficult times, we can take encouragement from the fact; there is often a silver lining.

Other songs which Gypsy Soul performed during their first set included, “Loving Me,” a song embellished by Morykit’s acoustic blues shuffle, the soulful, “Show Me The Way,” and “We Lose Ourselves In Life,” a song that may best be described as a gentle pop tune with folk overtures.

Gypsy Soul’s music does not lend itself to genre labeling, and if Cilette Swann and Roman Morykit are reading this, they are no doubt smiling, nodding their heads, and saying, ‘We wouldn’t have it any other way.’ The duo once again demonstrated their versatility and excellence during the second set, when they covered Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” and Moody Blues’ “Nights In White Satin.”  Using a finger slide and his steel guitar, Morykit created a funky vibe, to compliment a soulful vocal performance by Swann, while they covered, “Superstition.”  Even Stevie could get down and enjoy the groove on this superb cover of his tune.

If an encore is intended for the performing artists to go out on a memorable note (excuse the pun), then Gypsy Soul’s cover of “Nights In White Satin,” accomplished just that.  As good as Swann, Morykit, Hoeskeland and Morris were throughout the two sets, none of the songs topped their performance of “Nights In White Satin.” Swann’s voice reached the higher octaves effortlessly, and one soon runs out of superlatives to describe Morykit’s guitar playing.

Gypsy Soul creates and performs beautiful music, the really nice thing is, when you get to meet them, you discover that the people behind the music are just as beautiful.

If you have not been to a Gypsy Soul concert, you should go. You will be hard pressed to find better value for your hard-earned dollars, than purchasing a ticket to one of their concerts. Check out their performance schedule here. Through their website, you can also pre-order their new CD, Wanderlust, which will be released in early October

Photo by Dragomir Vukovic, protected by copyright ©

Reviewed by Joe Montague

Reviewed June 7th, 2008

Riveting Riffs wishes to thank the management of The Triple Door for making it possible for Riveting Riffs to review this concert

All written, photographic and graphic content contained on www.rivetingriffs.com remains the property of Riveting Riffs Ltd., a registered Canadian company, and the contributing writers, artists and photographers. The content on this site is protected by copyright and all rights are reserved. The content may not be reproduced in print, appear on other websites or be transmitted electronically without the written permission of Riveting Riffs Ltd.  ©