I sure did write a lot last year.

There were a handful of print articles and  some fun guest blog posts. And while I shared all of that stuff with my friends and linked it all out here and via social media, a lot of my scribbling this year isn’t quite ready for the public to scope out.

Namely, the finished YA manuscript my agent is shopping around, a half finished sequel to that book, and a secret finished book. And then there’s writing and editing blog posts for Geekadelphia and Quirk’s website.

Man, that’s a lot of words.

After reading the brilliant Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O’Malley, I started recording what I was listening to while writing. He does it too, at the end of each book. So I opened up the manuscripts for those YA books this weekend, flipped to the end, and found the small list. I started one with the guidebook too.

Here’s what I was rocking out to this year while writing. An unsurprising list.

The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten: “If I put too much blood on the page.” Damn Brian Fallon. This guy gets it. If I get another tattoo after my sleeve is finished, it might just end up being the lyrics to Blood On The Page from The Gaslight Anthem’s Handwritten album.

The Horrible Crowes – Elsie: I picked up Brian Fallon’s side project when I randomly caught word of it on Absolutepunk. It’s a lot like The Gaslight Anthem, but softer and darker.

Fun – Some Nights: This band was a hard sell for me initially. I loved The Format so very much, and once Fun started to blow up, I was a little bitter. How could this group possibly produce something better than Interventions + Lullabies, or Dog Problems?

My pal Alberto tricked me into listening to the group after watching an episode of Glee, and well, that sort of did it. The new group still isn’t better than The Format. But damn, Some Nights is one great record. And a wonderful album to write to.

We Shot The Moon – Love & Fear: I donated to these guys’ Kickstarter in the middle of last year, and have been rocking out to their record ever since. I loved Waking Ashland and Sherwood, so the combination of those two bands created something really special.

Their previous albums were also pretty damn fantastic, but this one is easily my favorite.

Between the Trees – Spain: Sigh. Oh how I miss this band. I used to catch them when they toured through the area and played small venues, and just rediscovered them when I found their two albums in the $1 bin in AKA Music in Old City.

The single off Paris, We Can Try, is an absolute favorite that I can listen to again and again.

Rocky Votolato – Television of Saints: I’ve seen Votolato perform here in Philadelphia and back in NJ when I was in college. He’s a great singer songwriter, up there with Butch Walker (who I listened to like, nonstop during my undergrad), and when I saw his Kickstarter up, I just gave him all my money. Or you know, enough to get his new album on vinyl.