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Reagan Youth | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Hardcore punk •anarcho-punk |
| Years active | 1980–1990, 2006–2024 |
| Labels | R Radical,Cleopatra,[1]New Red Archives |
| Members | List of Reagan Youth band members |
Reagan Youth was an Americananarcho-punk band formed by singerDave Rubinstein (Dave Insurgent) and guitarist Paul Bakija (Paul Cripple) inQueens, New York City in early 1980.
David Rubinstein and Paul Bakija met in Russel Sage JrHS and together attendedForest Hills High School, the same high schoolSimon and Garfunkel and theRamones attended when they began. After rehearsals under the name Pus with a varying rhythm section, the group changed its name to Reagan Youth shortly before playing its first gig on August 22, 1980, with bassist Andy Bryan (Andy Apathy) and drummer Charlie Bonet (Charlie Tripper). Reagan Youth quickly gained a following and were soon playing the punk clubs ofManhattan. Bakija's physics teacher at FHHS attended a Queens basement rehearsal. And he then attended a show at CBGB's; where once he had his head shaved; he became associated with the band at times hauling Paul's amps and equipment into the city from Queens in his Dodge Dart.[2] After the band recorded a four-song demo in 1981, Bryan was replaced byAl Pike. Bonet departed soon after; after the band briefly rehearsed with Rubinstein filling in on drums, Steve Weissman joined full-time. They signed to the R Radical imprint.
After graduation and the release of their first record, the seven-songYouth Anthems for the New Order EP, they began touring nationally and were regulars at the Sunday afternoon hardcore matinee shows atCBGB. In 1984, prior to a significant US tour, Pike and Weissman left the group, with Pike going on to join a formative version ofGlenn Danzig's groupSamhain briefly around this time. They were replaced byVictor Dominicis (Vic Venom) and Rick Griffith (Rick Royale) respectively. Griffith was later replaced in 1985 by Javier Madriaga (Johnny Aztec), who has also played drums in Lujuria, A.P.P.L.E., andHeart Attack.
By the late 1980s the extensive touring had taken its toll on the group. Despite the many shows played and the relatively large album sales for a hardcore punk band, they continually found themselves broke. AfterRonald Reagan left office in 1989, the band split up. Despite their decision to disband, the group attracted the attention of the burgeoning punk labelNew Red Archives, with whom they signed a two-album deal. New Red Archives first re-releasedYouth Anthems for the New World Order with three additional outtakes as theVolume 1 LP. In 1990, Bakija (playing both guitar and bass), Madriaga, and Rubinstein recorded a final album,Volume 2.
Dominicis went on to play guitar inNausea while Bakija, Madriaga, and Rubinstein continued making music together, briefly performing in apsychedelic rock group called House of God that was derailed by Rubinstein's increasing drug and health problems.[3] House of God recorded a 7-song demo, an unmixed version of which can be found online.
By 1990 Rubinstein had become aheroin user and occasional dealer[citation needed]. In a conflict with another dealer, he was severely beaten with a baseball bat, requiring weeks of hospitalization. In 1993 he began dating Tiffany Bresciani, who supported both of their drug habits byprostitution.[4] This same year, Rubinstein's mother was killed in a car accident. Soon after, he and Bresciani were onHouston Street looking for customers and drugs. A familiar customer in a truck hired Bresciani and the two of them disappeared. A few days later, police onLong Island stopped the same truck and discovered Bresciani's slain body in the back. The driver wasJoel Rifkin, later convicted as aserial killer responsible for the murder of several sex workers.[5] Despondent over his continuing drug addiction and the loss of his girlfriend and mother, Rubinstein committed suicide shortly thereafter.[6]
This same year, New Red Archives issuedA Collection of Pop Classics, which collected bothVolume 1 andVolume 2 on a single CD.
In 1998, New Red Archives releasedLive & Rare, a CD compiling highlights from New York City-area Reagan Youth sets from the early 1980s with the Pike/Weissman lineup, along with tracks from the band's initial demo and a brief demo forVolume 2. Pike and New Red Archives owner Nicky Garratt, also the guitarist for the British band theUK Subs, contributed liner notes for this release.
In 2002, plans for a reunion set at CBGB featuring Bakija, Bryan and Bonet were shattered by Bryan's sudden, fatal heart attack.[7]
In 2006, founding member, guitarist Paul Bakija reformed Reagan Youth with original members Al Pike (bass) and Javier "Johnny Aztec" Madriaga (drums), alongside new vocalist Pat McGowan (a.k.a. Pat Distraction). Initially intended as a one-off performance, the reunion soon “took on a life of its own,” with the band continuing to perform locally and regionally.[8]
In August 2007, they launched theResurrection Tour with Boston hardcore bandMouth Sewn Shut.[9] Between 2008 and 2009, Reagan Youth toured internationally, including shows inGermany,Belgium, and acrossEurope.[10]
After McGowan's departure in early 2010, the band was inactive for about a year. They reemerged in late 2010 with a new lineup: Kenny Young on vocals, Mike Sabatino on drums, and Dave Manzullo on bass (replacing Pike due to health concerns). In 2011, the band released the digital-only single "Lucky 7." Soon after, Jim "Diesel" Pepe replaced Young, and Tibbie X joined as bassist, becoming a consistent member alongside Bakija.[10]
Lineup changes continued over the following years. Paul Rye succeeded Diesel on vocals. Drummer Mike Sabatino was later replaced by Felipe Torres, who brought in students Stig Whisper (drums) and Trey Oswald (vocals). After Oswald abruptly left mid-performance in Vancouver, the group briefly included Jeff Penalty (formerly ofDead Kennedys) on vocals and Rick Contreras on drums, followed by A.J. DeFeo on vocals.[10]
Bakija continued writing material for a third studio album and performed with various vocalists and drummers, including Spike Polite, Kevin Knuckles, Vince Solecito, Charlie Bonet, David Luna, Neil Patterson, and Scott "Stza" Sturgeon ofLeftöver Crack. Tibbie X remained a constant member on bass throughout this period.[10]
In 2019,Cleopatra Records released "Punk Rock Christmas," Reagan Youth's first original song sinceVolume II.[11]
In 2023, Bakija began work onVolume III – Life & Times Revisited, a concept album about the life of late frontman Dave Insurgent. He was joined by vocalist Madame St. Beatrice and drummer Mark Zapata. The album was completed in 2024 while Bakija was in hospice at Calvary Hospital.[12]
Bakija died of cancer on September 21, 2024.[13]Volume III was released posthumously on February 28, 2025, via Cleopatra Records.[14]
Reagan Youth is an aggressivelyanarchist,socialist, andanti-racist band, and often utilizedKu Klux Klan andNazi Party imagery for satirical effect. In their original 1980s incarnation, they sought to address the parallels between the policies ofRonald Reagan, theChristian Right andAmerican conservatism, and the beliefs of thehate groups.[2] Their self-titled song, "Reagan Youth", uses atongue-in-cheek rhetoric to draw parallels betweenYoung Republicans who rallied to the cause of Ronald Reagan, and theHitler Youth ofNazi Germany, ushering in an era ofsongs about Ronald Reagan in American punk music. The band expressed itsleft-wing politics through irony, using images from hate groups for their album/CD covers.
Musically, the band was firmly rooted in the early hardcore/punk crossover tradition, but moved deeper into waters uncharted by their punk rock contemporaries as their career progressed. While their 1983 debut is an accomplished work squarely in keeping with hardcore punk convention, their 1990 followup features dense guitar work replete with solos and overdubs, diversified tempos and several sonic experiments, leading it to draw comparisons toBlack Sabbath and 1970salbum-oriented rock.
Reagan Youth released only one album during their existence as a band (in 1984); originally titledYouth Anthems for the New Order, it was re-released asVolume 1 by the small independent labelNew Red Archives in 1990. This album eventually sold 40,000 copies. A second album, titledVolume 2, was released in 1988. Both are still available on vinyl, as well as a CD titledA Collection of Pop Classics that combines both records. A collection of live recordings was issued in 1998 asLive and Rare. During the band’s reformation years,Cleopatra Records released the Reagan Youth original song “Punk Rock Christmas” in 2019, marking the group’s first new material sinceVolume 2.[15] In 2025, the label releasedVolume III, a concept album based on the life of frontman Dave Insurgent.[16]
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