“Punks For A Cause” Celebrates Life Of Rebecca Lorch

On Saturday, punk musician Jeremy Zombii and friends from nine local pop, rock and ska bands came together to honor the memory of Zombii’s sister, Rebecca Lorch, and celebrate her incredible, odds-defying life — which included her rise to the level of ​“America’s Strongest Woman” just a few years after a bad motorcycle accident threatened her ability to ever walk again — at a nine-hour concert at The Cellar on Treadwell.

Aptly billed as ​“Punks for a Cause,” the event set out to raise money for a GoFundMe account in Rebecca’s name, with plans to donate most of the proceeds to mental health organizations.

Ever since musician Jeremy Zombii moved to Connecticut shortly after turning 21, he knew he could count on Rebecca to cheer him on, no matter what. She showed up, bubbly and enthusiastically, every chance she got, whether Zombii was shredding guitar and belting out vocals in a small Meriden pub or playing on a bigger stage in a Bristol night club. Whether she was busy pursuing her theater degree at Adelphi University in Long Island or, eventually, competing at a national level in the Strongman circuit, supporting her big brother was super-important. 

“She was incredibly supportive,” recalled Jeremy, whose three-piece band Zombii took home the award for Best Punk Band at the New England Music Awards in the fall of 2022. ​“We played Scotty O’ Boyles in Meriden, and when she got there she bought, like, every single possible piece of merch we had. She wouldn’t let me just give it to her either. And she instantly changed into one of the shirts, she put on our sunglasses. She had everything else in the bag on her back. And it was just jumping around yelling, screaming. Just full support.”

It’s these memories of Rebecca enjoying his shows that are now some of his most cherished, as Jeremy mourns her untimely, tragic death on December 18 at age 32, by suicide.

Punks for a Cause kicked off around 4 p.m. with an acoustic set by musicians Ethan James and Kyle Trocolla that was equal parts heartfelt and hilarious. Armed with just a pair of guitars and their big and harmonious voices, James and Trocolla belted out crowd-pleasing tunes, including a gorgeously stripped-down cover of Green Day’s ​“Basket Case” and a playful version of Blink-182’s ​“All the Small Things.”

Six-piece ska band The Simulators went on next, bringing their bouncy rhythms and horn-saturated melodies to the stage. Their 30-ish minute set offered a nice late-afternoon serotonin boost and a sunny, warm energy that got the crowd of fans, including a couple of little kids, dancing. The quintet Rare Turkish kept the dancing going with laid-back punk tunes infused with keys, offering a nice counterbalance to gravelly vocals. Their animated set had the kids in attendance flailing their tiny bodies to the beat.

Four-piece punk band Wolf Harbor hopped onstage next, picking up the pace with its blend of punk, swing, and Americana tunes with a ​‘90s feel. That band was followed by the solo metal performer ORCumentary, who growled his way through a set of strange-but-good (and dark) songs, armed only with a microphone and a Roland Juno G keyboard.

Punk trio Mass Hysteria hit the stage around 9 p.m., delivering a high-intensity set that got half the room out of their seats, including a brilliant cover of Nirvana’s ​“Territorial Pissings.” At times, it felt like a basement punk show in someone’s home, withs its mix of sweaty dancers and cans of beer pounded and tossed about, as everyone pushed to get closer to the band. It’s hard to replicate the kind of kinetic authenticity that singer Daniel Eurysm and bassist Adam Krupa, who have played together for decades, can give to a performance, and everyone watching was grateful for it.

Zombii took the stage right after, keeping the crowd on its feet, as the trio — including Jeremy, longtime drummer Ray Hilton, and bassist Rich Maxwell, who joined in 2022 — launched into a heavily pop-punk set that evoked a deep sense of bacchanal and brotherly love. Zombii has evolved into one of the area’s finest punk outfits, with a signature sound that recalls early Blink-182 but now incorporates a wider breadth of influences, styles, and guitar effects. The set was filled with some of the most heartwarming moments of the night, as members of the other bands jumped on stage to sing a verse or a chorus before bouncing back into the audience. In the final few songs, Zombii played a couple of crowd favorites off its 2021 album, Fail Harder, including the super-catchy ​“Can’t Get Enough.”

Zombii was a tough act to follow, but hardcore band Land Piranha — featuring Jeremy Zombii on lead guitar — slayed with an incredible set, loaded with pithy, punchy, and sometimes brutal songs with titles like ​“Kids with Guns.” It had all the signature elements of a classic hardcore show, equal parts ferocious and theatrical, with audience members tossing around an inflatable joint one moment, then moving aside for slam dancers the next, while frontman Brian Leete paced the floor near the stage. Perhaps the most notable moments included the band’s searing cover of AC/DC’s ​“Thunderstruck” and the Land Piranha T‑shirt auction: In lieu of selling merch, the band auctions off one oversize T‑shirt per show (featuring a Sharpie sketch of an animated land piranha), asking for bids throughout the night. It was a lowbrow-but-brilliant strategy that brought a bit of levity to the night (and earned the band something like $70).

The Highland, N.Y. trio Leave It Behind closed out the gig, leaving nothing behind with its double-vocal punk assault and a slew of upbeat punk songs.

By the time the club closed, Punks for a Cause raised more than $1,500. Zombii said he hoped the night would be one to remember, not only for the music and the support for mental health, but also because it was a reminder of the importance of friendship and camaraderie.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her,” Zombii said of his sister. ​“I want to celebrate her life and do better for her in her memory. She was never afraid to be herself and just be outwardly amazing. And … you know, any one of my friends can come to me at any point in time, and I will do my best to be there for them, to listen, to give my feedback, my input — try and help them through whatever they’re going through. And I think that’s important to have, especially in our music community. Connecticut’s a small state, and we have an absolutely amazing music scene. And a lot of people are supportive of each other, and I think that’s something that means a lot.”

Reflecting on the success of the night, Jeremy said the event would have made Rebecca proud.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better night to remember my sister and help raise awareness and funds,” he said. ​“And I know if she had been there, she would have been right up front, singing at me and dancing around.”