Tortoise Vs. Hare was born in the fall of 2006, when singer and guitarist A.M. Gasaway met fellow raconteur Nicolas Hughes. After a brief pick-up session in a friend’s basement, the two immediately became convinced they should pool their musical talents and form a band. Hughes--originally a guitarist of no mean talent--swapped for a bass in order to fill a more essential role in the band. His addition provided a fuller sound, complimenting the melodic, nuanced riffs churned out by Gasaway on his assortment of acoustic and hollowbody guitars. They received some percussion support in their early days by a veteran of the Louisville area, Jeff Alton. The trio made some efforts at recording and playing shows, but Alton soon had to leave the group for financial reasons. Soon afterwards he was replaced by Clinton Kelley. With Kelley onboard, the basic lineup of the band was crystallized. Gasaway was not originally sold on being a frontman, so the trio cast a number of lead singers in quick succession. It was around this time that the project went by a different name almost every week. Some of the singers left because of irreconcilable personality or artistic differences; some left seeking more immediately profitable ventures. The net result of this lineup juggling was that Gasaway was left to fill the void by stepping in as singer, in addition to being the band’s songwriter and rhythm guitarist. The group continued to record sporadically, and the resulting album, titled Tangled Heart Rondo, is a strikingly original testimony to the band’s vision and talent. Lyrically, it offers a singular look into Gasaway‘s mental landscape, in which personal memories combine with fantasy and philosophic musings to create a seamless, fresh poetic perspective. Songs such as “Fourteen,” and “Speak,” regale the listener with the ecstasies and agonies of youth; while songs such as “Patchwork,” and “Travelers,” delve into timeless themes of change, alienation and reconciliation. Others like “The Wall Clock’s Chime” seem partly a jeremiad against a decrepit political culture and partly an anthem for action. Still others like “All Good Fortune” fall in the vein of more traditional roots-rock ballads with their themes of nostalgia and reverence for country life. Musically, Tortoise Vs. Hare favors simplified, yet lush instrumentation to convey their ideas. Guitar chords carry the melody and more modern experimentation with synthesizers is not present. The overall sound is thus reminiscent of some of the more notable singer/songwriters to emerge during the folk-rock heyday of the sixties and early seventies, figures such as Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, and third-disc-era Led Zeppelin. The group acknowledges a sizeable debt to contemporary indie folk-rock pioneers such as Neutral Milk Hotel and The Mountain Goats. With broad influences that range from indie to hip-hop to classical to punk, the trio has a vast, diverse body of inspiration that they draw upon in creating their original material. Around early 2008, shortly after the band lineup was finalized, Hughes was forced to relocate near Houston, Texas. Shortly afterwards Gasaway decided that he too needed to gaze upon fresh horizons. Around spring 2009, he moved to Jacksonville, FL. Gasaway continues to write music and play acoustic shows in and around Jacksonville under the Tortoise Vs Hare banner, although without Hughes or Kelley’s accompaniment. He has also been seen to occasionally play harmonica onstage while playing guitar (not found on “Tangled Heart Rondo”). It would seem that Gasaway is intent on keeping Tortoise Vs. Hare alive despite numerous challenges and setbacks. We have to wonder then at whether the character of the Tortoise---always striving, never taking victory for granted---has had some personal significance for Gasaway. Time will tell, though, whether this budding young songwriter is really more Tortoise or more Hare.