The Fist Magnet/Spigots Reunion Concert Video Showcase!!

In today's post, let's look at videos from the well received 1990s punk reunion concert at Soo Blaster on December 27th! These videos all come from former AlgomA guitarist Kevin Campbell's YouTube channel, which hosts various vintage punk videos and albums, not always locally tied (the channel is now known as Canadian Punker, but operated under a different name for years). This show (held in the memory of late Fist Magnet guitarist Chuck Ayotte) raised $5,360 for the Algoma Regional Community Hospice, as verified in this post from ARCH's Facebook page, so kudos all around to everyone who supported the cause! Kevin filmed all bands on this night except late openers The Sault Side Squad (now renamed With Gunfire, more on them in an upcoming post), but he got fourteen videos from the night's other four groups, so in performance order, who else took the stage?

Second up on the 27th was debuting local punk quartet P.R.O.D., featuring former Destroilet bandmates Christian Foisy & John Conway alongside Fist Magnet bassist Andrew Marson and Gambit drummer Clint Wilson. While their Soundcloud (and so far, only online) page has original demos, Kevin filmed them covering NOFX's "Bottles To The Ground", and as embedded below, The Crucifucks' "Hinkley Had A Vision". Christian takes on lead vocals here, and while his singing is somewhat buried in the mix, they have a solid enough 1990s punk spirit on these covers, and I'm game to hear more from them! Check this out below, and watch for ex-Destroilet drummer Matt Waples!

The two one-off 1990s punk reunions came next, starting The Spigots (or, as the screen says, "Some Spigots"). Here, singer Trevor Harding & bassist Frank Guidocco were joined by half of The Inner City Surfers (Mikey Hawdon and Dave Bahun), and Kevin filmed them covering Gordon Lightfoot's "Ed's Boat" and playing their originals "Beer Goggles", "You're So Rad", and as embedded below, "Nothing You Do". Interestingly, all four of Kevin's videos have Mikey on guitar and Dave on drums, a flip of what they usually play, but I don't know if this is how the whole set went or not. Fun throwback sound with Trevor displaying a lot of energy, and the increased crowd on the floor is encouraging, so check these out above & below!

Though not last on the 27th, the long awaited Fist Magnet reunion was the top advertised band, and if you liked P.R.O.D., you'll like that all but Clint took part here! Frontman Garry Ingram (ex-Gatgas) and drummer Dave Stokes joined their old bandmate Andrew plus guests Christian and John for a well received return set, with Kevin filming them covering Death Sentence's "Live To Die", The Lewd's "Suburban Prodigy", and playing their own "Evil God Hater", "Big Fuckin' Joints", and as embedded below, "Fat Lip". It's great to see Fist Magnet back (if only Chuck could be here for it!), and they delivered well on their original heyday's promise and attitude, so check these videos out as well, and hopefully they and The Spigots return again!

Curiously, the closing band here was active local crossover thrash band Hails, in what turned out to be their last concert with founding guitarist Mikhal Muto. Kevin filmed their cover of The Almighty Trigger Happy's "Meathook" (as seen on "Punk Canada Vol. 4") and two songs from their self-titled album, namely "The Drifter" and (as embedded below) "Pink Clouds Of Density" Ending things on a faster and heavier note, Ha!ls were on form from their prior 2025 gigs here, and they definitely fit the theme of the night, as frontman Brenton Ellis got his local music start in the 1990s punk scene, so check out their Soo Blaster videos above & below!

That's all for now, but we'll touch on With Gunfire's set in an upcoming post, and weekend concert previews are on tap next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fist Magnet, Tarnished, And Quite Frankly!!)

This Saturday afternoon post is devoted to new LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, ll with a seasonal and/or charitable flourish, so here's what you should know on both sides of the border!

Reunited local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will play their first public concert in 15 years on Friday, October 24th, but not in Sault Ste. Marie. Rather, they'll be making the hour's drive east to Bruce Mines to play a special Down Syndrome awareness fundraiser concert at Kosmos Pizza there! The restaurant and their Thessalon sister location are both hosting fundraisers that weekend (Thessalon's is the following day), with a goal of raising $5,000 for Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Despite implying that they'd be pulling double duty on the Thessalon branch's Facebook page, Quite Frankly bassist Harley Syrette confirmed with me that they are only playing in Bruce Mines on the 24th, though regardless, Thessalon is outside of our coverage range. Either way, kudos to Haley, Frank, Harley, and Joe for rocking out for a wonderful cause in two weeks, and if you're up for a drive or live east of the Soo, keep these two gigs in mind to show your support!

Kosmos Pizza is located in downtown Bruce Mines right along Highway 17, located in front of The Bavarian Inn and just past the turnoff for Cunningham Street, so it's extremely hard to miss it. The concert on the 24th will begin at 6:00 PM, there are no stated age limits, and while a cover charge isn't advertised, obviously consider donating to the cause and/or buying something to eat/drink while there. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, add another Halloween concert onto the schedule, as Sault Michigan classic metal/hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to The Driftwood Sports Bar in St. Ignace for that venue's Halloween party on Friday, October 31st! The fourth time this year that Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron have played at 590 North State Street, this will be Tarnished's first show of any kind since their trifecta of St. Ignace shows during the Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show last month, with one of those also being at The Driftwood. For the spooky festivities in three weeks, fans can expect a costume contest with a best prize award and hourly prize giveaways, plus "thrilling music, haunted vibes, and dancing till dawn". Maybe you can dance until dawn, but the concert proper is blocked from 9:30 PM-1:00 AM, with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Tarnished should be in strong rocking form for Halloween night, so see the above links for more details on this concert!

Finally for this all-new concert post, we have a huge show for the holiday season for fans of the 1990s Sault Ontario punk scene, as three big names from that era will reunite on Saturday, December 27th at Soo Blaster! The headliners are a reunion of Fist Magnet, the hardcore punk band featuring future Gatgas frontman Garry Ingram that were a local staple in the early-mid 1990s, as typified by Destroilet's covers of theirs throughout their run. The show will actually be an ARCH Hospice fundraiser in memory of late Fist Magnet guitarist Chuck Ayotte, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in 2018, and while I'm surprised it's taken this long to do a tribute concert, it will be a blast seeing Fist Magnet back after Christmas! No word on how their lineup will look beyond Garry though. Skate punk quartet Room 206 will return to Soo Blaster for their second gig of 2025 here, after headlining drummer Allan Watson's public stag & doe concert at the same venue in April.

Who would have guessed that Mike, Dave, Brad, and Al would play twice this year after a two decade+ layoff? Given the circumstances, I'll still treat this is as a one-off gig, but it would be neat to see Room 206 do more in 2026! In one more throwback to the Windsor Park era and the Going Underground book, fellow 1990s punk band The Spigots will play their first public concert in decades here, and while media from their heyday is understandably slight (is their cassette online at all?), their song "Beer Goggles" from a compilation CD is on YouTube. No word on how their lineup will look (click here to see some former members), but if you were around in the 1990s at local punk shows, The Spigots' reunion will add to things well! Local openers will include the debuting P.R.O.D. (short for "punk rock overdose"), a new band from former Destroilet guitarist Christian Foisy. Good to see him back out there!

We don't know much on P.R.O.D. yet, and as best as I can tell, their only online presence is via this Soundcloud page, which features three original songs. More punk based than Detroilet but with good attitude and catchy riffs from what I heard, and it'll be interesting to learn more on P.R.O.D. when things go public! Local crossover thrash quartet Hails (whose frontman Brenton Ellis started out in the local scene in the mid-late 1990s) will open the proceedings on December 27th, so don't bypass them either! This licsenced (sic) and all ages concert will have doors opening at 7:00 PM, and admission will be $15 in advance or $20 at the door, so send a message to Christian, his old Destroilet bandmate John Conway, or Room 206 drummer Mikey Hawdon (the credited promoters on the Facebook event page) if you want to send an e-transfer for an advance ticket early.

The high school yearbook-themed poster says that they'll only be on sale at The Rad Zone, contradicting the event page description. If you were at all into the local punk scene in the mid-1990s, this will be a must-attend show on December 27th, and with the holiday season still in effect, when else will you be able to attract so many familiar faces back home to do something like this? I'm about a decade behind the curve for local scene eras, but I know how important these three bands were back then and beyond, so don't miss out on what will be a huge concert at year's end! Visit the above links for more details on all three of these upcoming shows, and stay tuned for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!