Keith Jeffery faced a tough decision in 1998 when he was offered a position at the renowned Adelaide Jazz Conservatorium. After serious deliberation, he came to the decision that the syllabus was too restrictive and set his sights on exploring his shared love of the broader musical spectrum with brothers Steven and Michael. Coming from a musical family, the boys had shared an interest in music and performance since childhood, so by late 1998 they had built a repertoire and formed a band with the slightly eclectic name Hairy Lemon. And so it was, just as the Farriss and Young brothers did before them, these three siblings found a unique bond in their music. Hairy Lemon is led by Keith Jeffery (guitarist/singer/songwriter), together with Steve Jeffery (Bass) and Mike Jeffery (Drums). Growing up in a household filled with music, the guys admit a wide range of influences, ranging from bands like The Police and The Beatles, to early-Chili Peppers, Sublime, and Foo Fighters. Their first show was played in September '98 in their home town of Victor Harbor, South Australia. Although their initially apprehension about performing in public, the resounding success of their very first show confirmed that the brothers had long felt; that they had a natural musical synergy and that making music together was their calling. Since then, Hairy Lemon has worked incessantly - playing more than 500 shows and holding down several residencies in Adelaide. Somebody once said: “The harder I work, the luckier I get” and the guys have taken that sentiment to heart, gigging hard while constantly honing their song-writing and on-stage abilities. Confesses Keith: "Our whole life is music. When we work we're playing music, and when we aren't playing music were generally listening to it or writing new stuff. Stylistically, we try to keep it pretty diverse or we'd get bored too quickly.” Almost six years on, after releasing one EP and two independent albums, their relentless commitment is paying off, with impressive records sales and several prestigious awards to their name. Last year saw the band pick up the award for 'Most Outstanding Emerging Artist' at the SAMI awards (beating Adelaide music-industry darlings Special Patrol and Angelik) and providing support for Aussie legends 'You Am I' and 'Jimmy Barnes'. Eschewing the easy way out taken by Australia’s ubiquitous ‘cover bands’, Hairy Lemon have always aspired to writing and performing their own music, along with the occasional homage admittedly, but that has only endeared them to their huge Adelaide fan base. Their original material has garnered significant critical acclaim and attracted the attention of some of the Australian music industry’s heavy hitters. Hairy Lemon take their music very seriously. They are a fiercely independent outfit, and as such have put together a tailor-made touring PA and lighting rig, (not content with hiring tired old equipment or using sub-standard in-house systems) as well as building a professional-standard recording studio and practice space near their SA home. After six years, the Jeffery brothers know only too well that to achieve the success they are seeking is a matter of taking a totally professional approach and sheer hard work. To paraphrase the aforementioned Young brothers: “It’s a long way to the shop when you want a sausage roll! Their latest work, released on June 5th under the title “incommunicado’, consists of 12 original tracks recorded in their own studio earlier this year, with final post-production being completed in Sydney in March. The collection includes the crowd favourites 'Aching', 'Return to Marrakech', and 'Descending’ which are already the first calls when the shout for ‘encore’ goes out at the end of their final live set. “Incommunicado” is very much a ‘live in the studio’ recording, faithfully reproducing their on-stage performances with a remarkably full sound for a conventional three piece band. Deliberately, no ‘singles’ have been nominated, as the latest suite, although totally cohesive, offers such diversity and has such broad appeal, that fans are all finding their own favourites. As Bassist Steve Jeffery recommends: “Why not just push the ‘random selection’ button on your CD player. Then you’ll get a different album every time you play it”.