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Reagan Youth | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Punk rock, 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 is an American anarcho-punk band formed by singer Dave Rubinstein (Dave Insurgent) and guitarist Paul Bakija (Paul Cripple) in Queens, New York City in early 1980.
David Rubinstein and Paul Bakija met in Russel Sage JrHS and together attended Forest Hills High School, the same high school Simon and Garfunkle and the Ramones 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 of Manhattan. 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 Pauls' 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 by Al 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-song Youth Anthems for the New Order EP, they began touring nationally and were regulars at the Sunday afternoon hardcore matinee shows at CBGB. In 1984, prior to a significant US tour, Pike and Weissman left the group, with Pike going on to join a formative version of Glenn Danzig's group Samhain briefly around this time. They were replaced by Victor 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., and Heart 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. After Ronald Reagan left office in 1989, the band split up. Despite their decision to disband, the group attracted the attention of the burgeoning punk label New Red Archives, with whom they signed a two-album deal. New Red Archives first re-released Youth Anthems for the New World Order with three additional outtakes as the Volume 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 in Nausea while Bakija, Madriaga, and Rubinstein continued making music together, briefly performing in a psychedelic 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 a heroin 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 by prostitution. [4] This same year, Rubinstein's mother was killed in a car accident. Soon after, he and Bresciani were on Houston 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 on Long Island stopped the same truck and discovered Bresciani's slain body in the back. The driver was Joel Rifkin, later convicted as a serial 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 issued A Collection of Pop Classics , which collected both Volume 1 and Volume 2 on a single CD.
In 1998, New Red Archives released Live & 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 for Volume 2. Pike and New Red Archives owner Nicky Garratt, also the guitarist for the British band the UK 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, Reagan Youth officially reformed around Bakija, Pike, Madriaga, and new vocalist Pat McGowen (Pat Distraction). They initially intended only to play a single show but opted to continue after the project "took on a life of its own." [8] They played several additional local and regional tours, and embarked on the "Resurrection Tour" in August 2007 with Boston hardcore band Mouth Sewn Shut.
The band began expressing interest in writing and recording a third record and suggested that it would be about the life and times of Dave Insurgent. [8] The band continued to tour extensively, including their first shows in Germany and Belgium in 2008 and a European tour in 2009.
In early 2010 McGowen was let go and after a year of inactivity, the band resumed performed live in late 2010 with new singer Kenny Young, with drummer Mike Sabatino replacing Madriaga. Bassist Dave Manzullo replaced Pike shortly thereafter due to Pike's health concerns. They released the new recording "Lucky 7" through free Internet outlets in 2011. But Young's drug addiction led to his replacement by Jim Diesel and Tibbie X replaced Dave Manzullo as well as becoming the permanent bassist. Diesel was let go and was replaced by Paul Rye. Paul Rye and Sabatino were soon after replaced by drummer Felipe Torres who introduced the band to his student Stig Whisper and Trey Oswald. That lineup remained intact until Trey Oswald ran off stage in Vancouver at which time the band replaced them with Jeff Penalty (ex-Dead Kennedys) on vocals and Rick Contreras on drums. Penalty was soon replaced by A.J. DeFeo.
Guitarist Paul Cripple noticed that no one but Tibbie X were interested in recording Volume III with due to various issues. Paul went to Germany and recorded five songs with German Max Motherfucker and drummer Bjorn Irlinger from the band Oxymoron where they toured. The recordings were subsequently destroyed by Bjorn Irlinger who dropped out of the tour with all the band’s money.
Paul returned to the states and had Spike Polite on vocals while Kevin Knuckles played drums but was soon replaced by Vince Solecito on drums and David Luna on vocals. The band eventually got their original drummer Charlie Bonet briefly back into the fold. Luna was replaced by Neil Patterson.
The most recent line up consisted of Scott Sturgeon of Leftover Crack, Choking Victim and Star Fucking Hipsters as singer. Paul Cripple played a few shows with this lineup. Following a return of Cripple's cancer and decline in his health, the band stopped touring and focused on recording. [4] He died from the cancer on September 21, 2024. [9]
Reagan Youth is an aggressively anarchist, socialist, and anti-racist band, and often utilized Ku Klux Klan and Nazi Party imagery for satirical effect. In their original 1980s incarnation, they sought to address the parallels between the policies of Ronald Reagan, the Christian Right and American conservatism, and the beliefs of the hate groups. [2] Their self-titled song, "Reagan Youth", uses a tongue-in-cheek rhetoric to draw parallels between Young Republicans who rallied to the cause of Ronald Reagan, and the Hitler Youth of Nazi Germany, ushering in an era of songs about Ronald Reagan in American punk music. The band expressed its left-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 to Black Sabbath and 1970s album-oriented rock.
Reagan Youth released only one album during their existence as a band (in 1984); originally titled Youth Anthems for the New Order, it was re-released as Reagan Youth (Volume 1) by the small independent label New Red Archives in 1989. This album eventually sold 40,000 copies. A second album, titled Volume 2, was completed and released in 1990, after the official breakup of the band. Both are still available on vinyl, as well as a CD titled A Collection of Pop Classics that combines both records. A collection of live recordings was issued in 1998 as Live and Rare.
Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of other genres like funk, heavy metal, hip hop, and soul. Rolling Stone magazine called them "the mother of all black hard-rock bands", and they have been cited as a seminal influence to numerous other subgenres in addition to hardcore punk, including various subgenres of heavy metal, such as thrash/speed metal, alternative metal, and funk metal. Bad Brains are followers of the Rastafari movement.
Ludichrist is an American band formed in 1984 in Long Island, New York. Their musical style broke from the conventions of New York hardcore by adding aspects of rock, heavy metal and jazz, such as musical interludes and extended guitar solos. Ludichrist is one of the crossover movement's most prominent groups, alongside D.R.I. Drummer Dave Miranda saw Ludichrist as "crossing into both, punk and metal without firmly belonging into either camp." He observed that "the band was readily influenced by bands around them such as Crumbsuckers and Agnostic Front."
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1986 in Queens, New York City. The band's lineup consists of brothers Lou and Pete Koller on lead vocals and guitars respectively, Armand Majidi on drums, and Craig Setari on bass. Sick of It All is considered a major part of the New York hardcore scene, and by 2020, the band had sold at least half a million records worldwide.
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore punk band from New York City. Founded in 1980, the band is considered an important influence on the New York hardcore scene, as well as a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre.
Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk band, initially active from 1985 to 1990 before reforming in 2010. The band played a major role in establishing the "Youth Crew" subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophies of the straight edge and vegetarian lifestyles.
Gorilla Biscuits are an American hardcore punk band from New York City, New York, United States, formed in 1986. The band currently consists of Anthony "Civ" Civarelli, Walter Schreifels, Arthur Smilios and Luke Abbey, and is signed to Revelation Records. Gorilla Biscuits are part of the New York hardcore scene.
Kid Dynamite was an American, Philadelphia-based hardcore punk band. They formed in 1997 and broke up in 2000, while reuniting sporadically since then until 2013. They were signed to Jade Tree Records.
Government Issue was an American hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C. active from 1980 to 1989. The band experienced many changes in membership during its nine-year existence, with singer John Stabb as the only consistent member in an ever-fluctuating lineup that at various times included notable musicians Brian Baker, Mike Fellows, Steve Hansgen, J. Robbins, and Peter Moffett. Government Issue originated from the Washington, D.C. hardcore scene but added elements of heavy metal, new wave, and psychedelic rock on later records. Though this has caused the band to be sometimes overlooked in relation to other Washington, D.C. hardcore acts, their stylistic diversity made them influential to later punk rock groups. Government Issue performed occasional reunion shows in the 2000s and 2010s with various lineups, until Stabb's death from stomach cancer in 2016.
Nausea was an American crust punk band from New York City, active from 1985 to 1992. They are cited as a notable band in the first wave of crust punk.
Urban Waste is a New York hardcore punk band from Ravenswood Queens that was part of the New York renaissance of hardcore punk in the early 1980s. Much more raw, visceral, and overtly confrontational than their New York punk predecessors, they were contemporaries of Reagan Youth, the earliest incarnation of the Beastie Boys, and Bad Brains. They belonged to a group of bands coming out of the borough of Queens that included Kraut, Gilligan's Revenge, Murphy's Law, and The Mob. The band, like many others of the era, was short-lived, and after the breakup several members went on to form Major Conflict.
Heart Attack was an American early New York hardcore band formed in 1980 and active until 1984.
Sheer Terror are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band was one of the first to combine elements of heavy metal with a hardcore punk base, pioneering a heavier style of hardcore that would create many bands in the following decades. Formed in late 1984, the band stayed together until 1998, through numerous lineup changes and shifts in musical style. In October 2004, the band reunited for two shows at New York City's CBGB Club.
A Collection of Pop Classics is an album by American hardcore punk band Reagan Youth. It was released after the break-up of the band in 1989 and the suicide of lead singer Dave Rubinstein in 1993. The record is a compilation of the band's two studio albums, Volume 1 and Volume 2.
The Six and Violence was an American musical group in the genre of New York hardcore. Established in Queens, New York, United States, in 1985, the band appeared at the seminal club CBGBs and other punk and heavy metal related venues in the New York area between 1985 and 2005. The band released 2 full-length albums and a series of demos, singles, and EPs throughout their career. The Six and Violence is also featured on hardcore and punk compilations from the 1980s and 1990s.
David Rubinstein, also known as Dave Insurgent, was an American singer and co-founder of the New York–based hardcore punk band Reagan Youth. Rubenstein founded the band with guitarist Paul Bakija when both were in Forest Hills High School in Forest Hills, Queens. The band played the punk clubs of Manhattan while the members were still in high school.
Youth Anthems for the New Order is the first album by punk band Reagan Youth. Recorded at High 5 Studios, NYC in 1983-1984, the album was released folded in a large two sided poster instead of a traditional album cover. It was subsequently re-released with three extra tracks as Reagan Youth on New Red Archives.
Al Pike is an American musician, best known as the bassist of the hardcore punk band Reagan Youth, as well as briefly being a member of Samhain.
The Stimulators were an American punk rock band from New York City. Although they have a limited discography, they are notable for being consistently cited as an important transitional band between the late-1970s New York City punk rock scene and New York hardcore, and for being the musical entry point for future Cro-Mags founder Harley Flanagan.
False Prophets were an American, New York City-based, punk rock/hardcore punk band which formed in 1980. The original members were Stephan Ielpi (vocals), Steve Wishnia (bass), Peter Campbell (guitar) and Matt Superty (drums).
Straight Ahead was an American straight edge hardcore punk band formed in Queens, New York City in 1984 by drummer and vocalist Tommy Carroll, guitarist Gordon Ancis and bassist Tony Marc Shimkin.
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