Ten Yard Fight

Almost single-handedly, Ten Yard Fight restored vitality to the rigid, long-dormant realm of rapid, melodic, chant-driven straight-edge hardcore. Serving as early voices of the old-school revival, the group promoted both a drug-free ethos and fierce local pride in a manner that echoed earlier standard-bearers such as Wolfpack, DYS, and SSD as well as Washington, D.C.’s Minor Threat. Formed in Boston during 1995, the project began as a lighthearted experiment that fused straight-edge ideals with football terminology. Vocalist Anthony “Wrench” Moresschi, who had never fronted a band, delivered his shouts on the group’s demo, produced with the assistance of noted hardcore engineer Brian McTernan. At their debut performance Moresschi appeared in a hybrid outfit of football equipment and punk attire; the overwhelming audience reaction prompted the members to treat the band as a serious endeavor. Soon Ten Yard Fight began playing East Coast shows that rekindled enthusiasm for classic hardcore sounds. After moving 1,000 copies of their demo, the band partnered with Big Wheel Recreation for the Hardcore Pride 7" single; its first pressing vanished within days, generating enough attention to secure a deal with Equal Vision. The label’s initial release combined the demo and 7" tracks onto one CD. Ten Yard Fight then issued the full-length Back on Track, simultaneously returning Equal Vision to prominence within the hardcore community. Personnel shifts occurred while the group toured Europe and the United States throughout 1997 and 1998. In 1998 the band laid down six fresh tracks that later appeared as The Only Way EP. The following year the members chose to disband, staging a final October concert that drew an enormous crowd and was widely celebrated as “Edge Day.” The last configuration featured Wrench, guitarist John LaCroix (who had begun on bass), guitarist Timmy Cosar (later of American Nightmare), bassist Brian “Clevo” Ristau, and drummer Ben Chused. A year afterward the DVD/video documentary The Only Way: 1995-1999 was launched with an unannounced, final Ten Yard Fight appearance at “Edge Day Two,” held on the same bill as the closing show by Boston’s In My Eyes. LaCroix spent a short time playing bass in Reach the Sky before he and Wrench moved to the West Coast.