Ten Yard Fight

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Ten Yard Fight
Origin Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genre(s) Hardcore punk
Youth Crew
Years active 1995 – 1999
Label(s) Equal Vision Records
Former members
Anthony "Wrench" Moreschi
John LaCroix
Jay Frechette
Timmy "Tim-bomb" Cosar
Brian "Clevo" Ristau
Ben Chused

Ten Yard Fight was a straight edge, football-based band from Boston, Massachusetts. Along with In My Eyes and Floorpunch, they spearheaded the youth crew revival in 1997. Bassist, Brian "Clevo" Ristau, went on to play in Boston's Stop and Think. Vocalist, Anthony "Wrench" Moreschi, went on to front Stand & Fight on Bridge 9 Records, and currently sings in Resist featuring members from DrugxTest and Since the Flood. Ten Yard Fight's last show was in October of 2000 in Haverhill, Mass for National Edge Day, which they played in its inception in 1999.

Ten Yard Fight was formed in 1994/1995 with the intention of reviving eighties-style posi-core. TYF reinvigorated the stiff and nearly forgotten genre of fast-paced, upbeat, singalong straight-edge hardcore almost all by themselves. As heralds of what would become the old-school revival movement, they championed not only the drug-free lifestyle, but their hometown in a way reminiscent of scene forerunners Wolfpack, DYS, and SSD or Washington, D.C.'s Minor Threat. The band was originally intended to be little more than a tongue-in-cheek project combining straight-edge philosophy with football jargon. Vocalist Anthony "Wrench" Moreschi had never sung for a band before recording his shouts on Ten Yard Fight's demo, released in 1995 crafted together with notable hardcore producer Brian McTernan. The band played its first show with Moreschi clad in a combination of football gear and punk rock clothing. The crowd response was so enthusiastic that the band decided to become more serious. Ten Yard Fight began performing on the East Coast, igniting a new interest in the old-school style of hardcore.

Having sold 1,000 demos, Ten Yard Fight teamed up with Big Wheel Recreation to release the Hardcore Pride 7" in 1996. The initial pressing sold out in less than a week, helping generate a buzz that resulted in the band's signing to Equal Vision. During that time they also released a split 7" with Fastbreak. The first result of the partnership was a compiling of the demo and Hardcore Pride 7" onto a single CD. Ten Yard Fight would next release an album entitled Back on Track, helping re-establish Equal Vision as a prominent force in the hardcore scene in the process with Moreschi's raw vocals. Lineup changes followed, as the group toured Europe and the United States through 1997 and 1998. In 1998, the band recorded six new songs that would later surface on The Only Way EP.

In between these releases TYF appeared on many different complilation recordings. At the end of 1999, TYF played their last show together with friends Bane, Reach The Sky, and In My Eyes. This show was at the Karma Club on Lansdowne Street as the Yankees and Red Sox were playing right across the street in the ALCS at Fenway Park. The final lineup of the band included Wrench, guitarist John LaCroix (who started out playing bass), guitarist Timmy Cosar (who later formed American Nightmare), bassist Brian "Clevo" Ristau, and drummer Ben Chused. The Only Way: 1995-1999, a DVD/video documentary, had its release celebrated a year later with Ten Yard Fight taking the stage, unannounced, at "Edge Day Two," coinciding with the final performance of Boston's In My Eyes. During the 4+ years that TYF was around, the band played all over the world, including several US tours, a European tour, many shows in Canada, and even a weekend of 2 shows in Puerto Rico where Steve Reddy caused permanent spinal damage to Lacroix.

The Guests at Wrench's wedding were forced to circle pit around their tables while waving napkins over their heads.

[edit] Members

  • Anthony Moreschi - vocals
  • John LaCroix - guitar
  • Timmy Cosar - guitar
  • Brian Ristau - bass
  • Ben Chused - drums

[edit] Discography

  • Demo '95 (1995)
  1. First and Ten
  2. Pit of Equality
  3. Line of Scrimage
  4. Enough is Enough
  5. Drug Free Nation
  6. Offsides
  • Hardcore Pride (April 15, 1995)
  1. Hardcore Pride
  2. Forever
  3. Where I Stand
  4. Believe
  5. Proud to Be Straight
  6. Holding On
  7. First and Ten
  8. Line of Scrimmage
  9. Enough
  10. Pit of Equality
  11. Drug Free Nation
  12. Offsides
  13. Till Death
  • Back on Track (July 17, 1997)
  1. Running Scared
  2. Refuse to Change
  3. The Same Side
  4. We Know the Truth
  5. Still Lives
  6. You Taught Them
  7. Lost Sight
  8. Back on Track
  9. Opportunities
  10. Back It Up
  11. False Convictions
  12. Frame of Mind
  13. Our Times
  14. Stronger Than Before
  • The Only Way (1999)
  1. Glory Bound
  2. Actions Speak
  3. Proof
  4. Only Way
  5. What I Say
  6. Don't Come Back
  7. No Place

[edit] See also


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