Brace Yourself: LEMMYfest Is Coming

This post originally appeared on Vanyaland.

Motörhead / Courtesy photo by Robert John

Motörhead frontman and beloved hard rock icon Lemmy Kilmister died last week, but his legacy still burns in the spotlight: 1980 single and flagship Motörhead song “Ace Of Spades” is about to crack the Top 10 in the United Kingdom singles charts, and a public memorial service, which will be webcast on YouTube, is planned for Saturday at the Rainbow Bar & Grill, the Los Angeles joint he often frequented to drink, smoke, and socialize with fans. Here in Boston, the tributes have been plentiful: The Model Cafe played nothing but Motörhead the night of his death, Great Scott did the same after Petty Morals’ record release party this Saturday, and we’re sure more than a handful of New Year’s Eve parties around town had their own form of tribute. Much whiskey was likely poured on the ground.

Now, a proper salute heads for the source of Lemmy’s true brilliance: the live stage.

On January 16 at ONCE Ballroom in Somerville, the site of the upcoming 2016 Rock And Roll Rumble, WZLX 100.7 FM radio host Anngelle Wood has organized the first annual LEMMYfest, a live tribute event to benefit the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund.

The lineup runs deep with the blood and sweat of Boston rock. Leading the charge is the supergroup Iron Fisted, a collective featuring members of Sam Black Church, Wrecking Crew, Roadsaw, Milligram, and Destruct-A-Thon. Also on the bill are Boston metal trio Rozamov, who played with Slayer and Doomriders at the Converse Rubber Tracks show last year at the Sinclair, and Space Ritual, who will perform the songs of Lemmy’s pre-Motörhead band, Hawkwind. Special guest sets are also promised.

“Having been one of those dark-clothes-wearing, Kerrang-, Circus-, and Hit Parader-reading kids, I always had much love and admiration for the metal community,” says Wood. “Among them live some of the best, most compassionate souls. Lemmy was one. Lemmy is immortal. His legacy lives. Seeing the outpouring of love for the man when he passed was cause for a meaningful celebration. Now he and Ronnie are raising a glass in the heavens.”

And come January 16, they’ll both look down on Somerville with smiles on their faces. Raise the horns.