Chad's Tree

Biography

Chad's Tree were an Australian rock band that existed between 1983 and 1989. The band's brittle, off-kilter sound evoked the sense of distance, desolation, harshness and loneliness of the Australian landscape, much in the same fashion as fellow Perth outfit The Triffids - who championed them to all who would listen. The band was formed by brothers Mark and Rob Snarski, the sons of Polish émigrés, who spent their youth on a 36-hectare farm on the outskirts of Perth, Western Australia. After a pro...

Chad's Tree were an Australian rock band that existed between 1983 and 1989. The band's brittle, off-kilter sound evoked the sense of distance, desolation, harshness and loneliness of the Australian landscape, much in the same fashion as fellow Perth outfit The Triffids - who championed them to all who would listen. The band was formed by brothers Mark and Rob Snarski, the sons of Polish émigrés, who spent their youth on a 36-hectare farm on the outskirts of Perth, Western Australia. After a promising start in Perth where the band supported artists of the calibre of John Cale, The Scientists, The Triffids, Laughing Clowns and The Go-Betweens, the brothers relocated to Sydney in 1984, with the remainder of the band following some months later in drummer, James Hurst's Kombi.

Chad's Tree issued its debut 7-inch single "Crush the Lily" in 1985 on the Hot label. They released subsequent singles, "Sweet Jesus Blue Eyes" in February, 1987 and "Stroller in the Attic"/"The Orchard" in March, 1988. The "Crush the Lily" and "Sweet Jesus Blue Eyes" singles were also combined with their respective B-sides for a self-titled 12-inch EP released in the United Kingdom on Rough Trade. Their debut album "Buckle in the Rail" was released in 1987 on the Nude label, whilst their stunning sophomore 'Kerosene" was released in 1989 on Waterfront Records.

Over the years many musicians have drifted through the line-up including Kim Bettenay, Mark Hemery, Simon Kain, Peter Michael, Barry Turnbull (ex-Ed Kuepper & The Cruel Sea), Susan Grigg (ex-The Cannanes), Rodney Howard (ex-Wet Taxis), Kathy Wemyss, Jason Kain (ex-Wet Taxis & The Jackson Code).

After the band broke up Mark Snarski formed the The Jackson Code with Kathy Weymss and Jason Kain. After touring with American crime writer James Ellroy in 1996, Mark left Australia for Europe finally settling in Madrid. He has recently finished a new album of material under the moniker of The Nearly Brothers. Rob Snarski returned to Perth and formed The Blackeyed Susans with members of The Triffids. A band he remains a pivotal member of to this day. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.