I was a member of a trio that trekked to North Portland on the last night in May 2026 to enjoy the ambience of the Rose City Book Pub and the music of Trio Tsuica, which bills itself as Portland’s only four member trio. The ensemble is named for țuică, a fiery Romanian plum brandy, and they play
Trio Tsuica at Rose City Book Pub: left, Brent Geary on violin, Kathy Fors on accordion, Peter Whitmore on bass, Paul Beck (behind dancers) on cimbalom.
a fiery blend of music from Romania, Hungary and other places in central and eastern Europe. My two companions, both long time (though perhaps a bit rusty) international folk dancers, had enjoyed a gig by the band at this spot a while back, and as some errands called us to Portland, we arranged the jaunt to coincide with their next appearance at the pub and venue.
Trio Tsuica is Brent Geary on violin, Kathy Fors on accordion, Paul Beck on cimbalom and Peter Whitmore on electric bass. As I mentioned, they specialize in Romanian and Hungarian dance music with excursions through the rest of the Balkans and as far afield as Greece. Their approach is casual but tight, with plenty of improvization from Geary and Beck in particular. Geary, who if I overheard correctly makes his living as an electrical engineer, is particularly impressive, sawing away at these emotionally charged and often rhythmically confounding tunes with great energy and the proper balance of abandon and finesse.
I’ve listened to cimbalom on recordings for many years now but this was my first opportunity to see one in the wild — an exciting occasion. Beck plays a model that is slightly smaller and more portable than most, less a piece of furniture than a musical instrument, unlike many. He and Fors on accordion provided a lot of chordal support with forays into melody and solo contributions, until the final suite of the evening, which put the focus squarely on Beck and his cimbalom and he really went to town. Whitmore, who curiously played his electric bass guitar in an upright manner, perhaps due to the cramped performing space that’s more niche than stage, was a key element of the ensemble. In addition to providing bottom, he supplied a key rhythmic element that kept the other members on track throughout, even when Geary took his fiddle out on the floor to mingle with patrons and dancers.
There was a group of what had to be regulars who showed up to listen and to dance — we were among the few who didn’t seem to know everybody else by name. It’s a cozy space with only a narrow path around the tables, benches, banquettes and chairs on which the dozen or so hoofers did various versions of their circle dances with footwork and arm raising motions.
The Rose City Book Pub is what it sounds like, a pub located in a former book store, with a certain number of books still displayed and available for sale, largely on countercultural themes. Poetry chapbooks, local zines and program guides to local community radio stations also abound in this queer safe space. The kitchen has a decent pub menu (we enjoyed the flash-fried Brussels sprouts with curry powder) and a nice selection of local ales, ciders and especially lagers that complemented the music on offer, and an outdoor patio as well. It’s a super friendly neighborhood hangout with something happening nearly every day, from music and readings to game nights, and no TVs, yay! We had a great time, really enjoyed the music, and plan to return again for Trio Tsuica, which plays there every couple of months or so. They also play at other pubs and community halls around town and down the Willamette Valley, and at Northwest Folklife Festival.
