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.