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The Blog

 

BACKWORDS blog explores the intersection between presence and history. The blog is a platform that honors the moment of encounter that any one person experiences—with art, literature, music, performance, or place. Often, reflections fit multiple categories—the opposite of a news program or style blog, BACKWORDS is not preoccupied with immediacy. An event does not need to be current to be relevant, nor does a memory need to be close to its origins to hold its potency.

Featured Posts

Spice and Rain

October 9, 2019

Let's Confuse Each Other In German: How I Turned 30 in Paris

August 7, 2019

My First Foray Into The Wonderful Wallowas

October 9, 2019

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Recent Posts

Spice and Rain

October 9, 2019

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Phillip Trey

Let’s talk about the Spice Girls, shall we? 

This past June, the premiere girl band of the 90s reunited for a 13-show UK tour, which amassed a whopping $78 million, and I was lucky enough to witness it in all its glory. While traveling to London and Paris for my 30th bi...

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Let's Confuse Each Other In German: How I Turned 30 in Paris

August 7, 2019

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Phillip Trey

I knew how I wanted to turn 30 long before the time arrived. What started as an inclination to do something big, a feeling, and a desire to celebrate and have a better thirtieth than my mother, eventually became a full fledged plan. From the time my mother turned 30 he...

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I Won't Call It Country: My Americana Kick

July 3, 2019

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Ginger Duncan

I’ve written about my trip to China a couple times now, but one thing bears repeating: Shanghai is enormous. And since I was traveling solo, visiting a friend with a full time job, and staying in my own apartment, the crowded streets and sticky heat tended to wear me o...

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Used to Be Mine

March 6, 2019

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Phillip Trey

On a frigid New York City evening in January, I realized a hidden dream of mine – hearing Sara Bareilles perform her song, “She Used to Be Mine,” live. I say hidden only because I am that person who only remembers how incredible it is to see their favorite performers l...

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Mystery Solved: My Favorite Moment in Rock and Roll History

December 5, 2018

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Ginger Duncan

When I was 12 or 13 – back when downloading music off Napster and burning CDs was a thing – the jam band my dad has been friends with since highschool acquired some home recording equipment. My dad, being a rockstar in his daydreams, was quick to put it use and show of...

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Falling for Florence and Jonathan

October 10, 2018

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Phillip Trey

I’m not a podcast person. I have had more conversations about them than I can count, recommendation after recommendation pouring in, about which one to listen to next, or to try. “Trust me, you’ll love this one!” But let me just tell you: I’m not gonna fucking listen t...

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Music and Memory

April 4, 2018

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Ginger Duncan

A few weeks ago, my partner Alex and I were out for a drive on one of the first warm days of Portland spring. I was scrolling through the music library on my phone trying to pick some tunes; something that said “windows down, sunglasses on,” even though it was only 60...

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Can We Listen to Something Else: Love and a Love of Hip Hop in the 21st Century

January 24, 2018

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Ginger Duncan

When it comes to music, hip hop has always held a small place in my periphery. I like it in the sense that I like to dance to it, both in “the club” and in the hip hop dance class I take weekly. Classic tracks by Cypress Hill (insane in the membrane, insane in the brai...

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Wandering Through the Symphony

November 22, 2017

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Phillip Trey

I’m making a habit of going to the symphony alone. It’s equal parts bad planning and an impulse decision, but this November, three hours before show time, I decided to attend the Oregon Symphony – again. I love a good excuse to dress up and struggle to tie a tie, even...

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It Takes a Village

August 16, 2017

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Phillip Trey

I’ve followed singer/songwriter Stephen Wrabel for years now. If you’re like me and follow him on Twitter and Instagram, you’ve probably seen him cry more than once, either in a video full of gratitude, or because something rough had happened. You’ve seen his doodles o...

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Older Posts >

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My First Foray Into The Wonderful Wallowas

October 9, 2019

Spice and Rain

October 9, 2019

Traveling with Less

September 11, 2019

Antibiotics and Balinese Dance, A Winning Combination

September 11, 2019

Let's Confuse Each Other In German: How I Turned 30 in Paris

August 7, 2019

Driving Through a Derecho, or, Toto, We Are Unfortunately Still in Kansas

August 7, 2019

A Brown Betty and a Family Pothole: Thieves and Potters

July 10, 2019

I Won't Call It Country: My Americana Kick

July 3, 2019

What Tony Hoagland Means to Me

May 1, 2019

Twenty Four Hours in Russell, New Zealand

April 3, 2019

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