The Ramones have the distinction of being the first punk rockers to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but for drummer Marky Ramone, the 2002 honor has been tempered by the deaths of three of the groundbreaking group's founding members in recent years.

But that void also has propelled the percussionist to head up a new group aimed at preserving the pioneering band's place in the punk-rock movement as well as contributing new news tunes to the evolving genre.

Enlisting the help of ex-Misfits lead singer Michale Graves, AntiProduct's Alex Kane on guitar and Clare B on bass, Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg will test the waters with a handful of New England appearances this month, including an 8 p.m. show Friday, Feb. 12, at Tupelo Music Hall in Londonderry.

"I did 1,700 shows with The Ramones and 10 studio albums, so I definitely have an idea of how this band should sound,” Marky Ramone said in a recent interview with NH Weekend. "That's why I keep the legacy alive. I feel that Johnny, Joey and Dee Dee (Ramone) passed away too soon, and the songs are too good not to be played.”

Part of its approach at bucking convention, the group in the mid-1970s adopted stage pseudonyms that gave bandmates the same last name, though they weren't related. Early members of The Ramones included vocalist Jeffry Hyman (Joey Ramone), drummer Marc Bell (Marky Ramone); bass guitarist Douglas Colvin (Dee Dee Ramone); guitarist John Cummings (Johnny Ramone) and drummer Tommy Erdelyi (Tommy Ramone).

The Ramones, leaders of the hard-edged, anti-establishment punk-rock pack, were immortalized in the cult film classic "Rock ‘n' Roll High School,” in which The Ramones are adopted as honorary high school students to stand up against a music-hating administration.

Marky Ramone, who appeared in the 1979 film and played on the soundrack's title tune, served as drummer for the Queens, N.Y.-bred band for 15 years, recording more than 15 studio and live albums with the Ramones.

In the time-honored tradition of popular riffs on stage leading to personal rifts in the wings, the lineup of The Ramones went through various changes over the years. Marky joined the band in 1978 but was asked to leave the group in 1983, only to rejoin his bandmates in 1987, until they decided to call it quits in 1996.

In 2000, U2's Bono presented the Ramones with MTV's Lifetime Achievement Award. Marky then reunited with Joey for the latter's solo effort "Don't Worry About Me,” and a year later, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"I'm very happy to be the first to represent this genre of music, and to be followed by The Clash and The Sex Pistols,” Marky said, adding, "and (to be recognized) among the people we liked, from the Beatles to Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones — bands we listened to when we were little kids.”

Meanwhile, Marky has made appearances on television shows including Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations” and "The Simpsons,” and for the past six years has been host of his own Sirius/XM Satellite Radio show.

"There's a lot of great stuff out there — Green Day, Rancid, Riverboat Gamblers, a great band out of London called Gallows,” Marky said of contemporary punk bands. "There's still a lot of good stuff and it's above ground, not underground anymore, which is good, in my opinion, because it gets to more people.”

For his upcoming Granite State performance, Marky said Blizkrieg will perform 32 Ramones tunes, including "I Wanna Be Sedated,” "Blitzkrieg Bop,” "Rockaway Beach,” "Pinhead” and "Sheena is a Punk Rocker,” as well as the Blitzkrieg's new song, "When We Were Angels.”

"It's a great band,” he said. "It's really great how the combination works.”

Marky said the group is gathering momentum but has been taking its time getting its new name out into the public arena.

"We're not planning a huge tour yet,” he said. "We wanted to pick select places first and decided to play here (in New Hampshire). We already played Japan and Australia and now we're starting to expand. We wanted to test the waters and the praises have been five stars, so I'm happy and grateful. It's a taste of what the band, when we do originals, sounds like.”

Tickets to the Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg show at the Tupelo Music Hall are $40-$45. For details, call 437-5100 or log onto www.tupelomusichall.com.