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The Legend Music Scene

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An exploration of some of Legend’s bands including Homeland and Undissassembled.

By Josh Ilano

“Let there be sound.” There was sound. “Let there be light.” There was light. “Let there be drums.” There was drums. “Let there be guitar.” There was guitar. “Oh, let there be rock!”

“Let There Be Rock” by AC/DC

Music is the lifeblood of Legend. Whether it be the rhythmic b-a-n-a-n-a-s chanted at football games, the orchestra brushing sweet melodies at our concerts, or our vivacious home-grown bands. 

Every high school has their cover band, but it takes true artistry to make something great. It has never been easier to play around with Garageband presets on an iPhone, look up a Youtube tutorial, and begin a musical pilgrimage. This democratization of sound has ushered in an era of music like no other. We’re seeing Frank Ocean influence Ska and glockenspiels appear in Midwestern Emo. Colorado (especially the Denver-Metro area) has always been blessed with bold independent bands like Khemmis or The Sickly Hecks and venues like The Bluebird or The Gothic. A sentiment that has explicitly permeated into Legend, which has fostered a tribe of exceptional voices in the DIY-music-space, spearheaded by the bands Homeland and Undissassembled. 

Homeland is a math-rock band started by Brendan Herrod (class of 2020) on bass, Benji Bennick (class of 2020) on lead guitar, current senior Evan Brinkerhoff on rhythm and vocals, and Noah Sondrol on drums.

In recent memory, Homeland flexes their music theory skills in their latest single, “Better Off” (available on Spotify & Apple Music) with a 6/4 time signature and unpredictable baseline. “Better Off” is a valiant debut— an upbeat breakup song in the same vein as Haiti’s Kaiyote with a tinge of Joy Again. Brinkerhoff’s buttery timbre lifts the song to an almost ethereal state, intersected by Benji Benick’s soaring guitar solos. Homeland has a tone, style, and presence that is simply unparalleled. 

Here’s what frontman Evan Brinkerhoff had to say on the DIY-music scene: “Parker has an unusual amount of really good musicians. It has WAY more mediocre musicians, but the chunk that are actually really good that all come from Parker is honestly astonishing. So it’s important to highlight these standout talents and promote the art they make” 

Parker has an unusual amount of really good musicians. It has WAY more mediocre musicians, but the chunk that are actually really good that all come from Parker is honestly astonishing. So it’s important to highlight these standout talents and promote the art they make

Evan Brinkerhoff (12)

Music and the arts lend themselves to students who may fall through the cracks. To the students who aren’t coming here to dissect rats or do long division. So, as Parkernites it’s our responsibility to support these kids and their endeavors. 

On the other side of the spectrum, Undissassembled (commonly shortened to the moniker Undies), is a punk band with just as much moxie as volume. Undies feels like taking time back to the 2007 culture of trading cassettes and myspace band pages. They’ve created a chilling zeitgeist with their bombastic sound, exemplified in their showmanship. Drummer Eddie Eaton (12) describes their sound as “Pure, energetic Punk Rock.” However, most importantly, they are genuine. Punk is not an aesthetic, it’s a statement; and Undies remind me what music, specifically live music, is supposed to be–fun.

Undissassembled performing at Railbender Skate Park on September 11th, 2021

The DIY and independent music scene is a force to be reckoned with. Gen Z has been enveloped into the rapid “whiz-bang-pop” lacquer of the current music industry. Our generation is so obsessed with the “now-now-now” that we seldom apply ourselves. So as a Zoomer, it is refreshing to see bands like Undissassembled and Homeland tearing down the status quo in Parker and redefining local music. Rhythm guitarist for The Ghoulies and Legend English teacher, Mr. Yergert, put it perfectly:  “Building a scene is really important to keep music going. The music is not really the scene, the people are, and if no one is going to shows, it all dies. There are no national acts without local acts.”

Here’s a curated playlist of Denver-Metro Bands you should check out:

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Aerosmith’s “Music From Another Dimension” Review

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by Lauren Medvig

Aerosmith was formed in Boston in 1970 and have since become one of the biggest and most respected bands in rock music. Now, in 2012, Aerosmith, with all the members of their signature line up, released their 15th studio album. The album is called Music From Another Dimension! It is their first studio album since 2004 and their first album of all new material since 2001.

Music From Another Dimension! is a very split album. One part of the album is a warm reminder of Aerosmith in their heyday, when the band would write catchy and perfectly phrased guitar riffs with memorable lyrics and a rough tone. That part of the album is very, very small.

A much larger part of the album is full of uninspired ballads and attempts to conform to current pop music standards. By my count there are six ballads. For Barry Manilow, that’s a pretty standard number, but for a rock band that is entirely too many. There are a few gems in this album, but they are completely buried under all of the generic piano songs.

The entire album feels very conflicted. It constantly switches back and forth between the bluesy, Rolling Stones-worshipping Aerosmith and the soft I-Don’t-Wanna-Miss-A-Thing Aerosmith. It also quickly becomes apparent which songs were written primarily by Steven Tyler and which songs were written by Joe Perry.

During “Oh Yeah” the rest of the band is really solid and in sync, but Steven’s voice sounds surprisingly weak and while the rest of the band sounds upbeat, he sounds very uninterested. Inversely, on “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You,” Joe’s guitar solo is very simplistic and loses all of the flair and vitality that has become his signature sound over the years.

The only times that the band sounds completely cohesive is during “Freedom Fighter” and “Something,” when Joe takes over as lead vocalist and lead guitarist, and during “We All Fall Down,” which has Steven singing and playing piano during the entire song with no guitar breaks.

Joe and Steven, the once inseparable Toxic Twins, are clearly twins no longer. While Joe stays firmly planted in the band’s bluesy roots, Steven tries to stray into the mainstream and that conflict results in some truly confusing songs. Even after listening to “Street Jesus” multiple times, it’s still completely incomprehensible. “Beautiful” starts off with a high speed beginning and so much energy, but the chorus becomes soft, generic, and whiny.

The bipolar nature of the album makes it very hard to listen to, but the most disappointing part of the album is that the band shows that they still have all of the elements to make a great album, yet it just didn’t happen. The rhythm section is still as tight as ever, Steven still has his fantastically rough voice, and Joe hasn’t run out of fantastic solos and beautifully phrased riffs, but they can never have all of those things come together at the same time.

2 out of 5 stars. As an album it isn’t bad, but as an Aerosmith album it missed the mark. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry chose to duke out their feud with their creative differences.

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Summer 2012: One Show After the Next

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By Alec Bushman

Summer 2012 was a busy one for musicians and music lovers alike. This summer appealed to music fans of all genres, with Vans Warped Tour for the punk rockers, and Summer Jam for fans of the rap genre.

Big name artists appearing at Warped Tour included Rise Against, A Day to Remember, Mayday Parade. Rappers Tyga, Wiz Khalifa, and Rick Ross were featured at Summer Jam.

Many Legend students went to each of these festivals, helping to make their mark in Colorado music.

“I was able to go to Gotye, The Black Keys, Imagine Dragons, and I have tickets to an upcoming show of Two Door Cinema Club for October.” Said Chander Rodden 11.

This summer was also important for Denver’s local bands. Bands such as Viretta, fronted by Legend alumni’s Elizabeth Moroni’s older twin brothers Michael and Rob Moroni, were given the opportunity to record with Isaac Slade, the lead singer of The Fray. They were able to record for 3 days in Candyland Studios, working on a single called “All I Have,” which was released near the beginning of summer for free download.

Viretta then visited Maxwell Studios to record their second EP, “Sanctuary,” which was released this summer on iTunes. They played plenty of shows promoting the EP, including their big EP release show at The Gothic theatre.

Mixolydia, a math rock band co-founded by Legend’s Jack Pumplin 11, also released an EP this summer. They played shows at venues such as The Ogden and The Black Sheep in Colorado Springs.

“The Marquis show July 6th was definitely the most important part of this summer for the band,” said Pumplin. “We are planning on writing new songs and getting a lot more shows.”

You can download the EP for free on the Mixolydia Facebook page, or check them out at an upcoming show.