Chad's Tree is an Australian rock band, formed in Perth in 1983. The band's brittle, off-kilter sound evoked the sense of distance, desolation, harshness and loneliness of the Nullarbor Plain, much in the same fashion as fellow Perth outfit The Triffids.
Biography
The Snarskis were born in London, to Polish refugee parents, and grew up on a 36 hectare farm on the outskirts of Perth, Western Australia. Their teenage musical passions were shared – Explosive Hits '77, the Doors, the Velvet Underground, Television. The band relocated to Sydney in 1984, the remainder of the band followed some months later in James Hurst's kombi. In 1985 Amanda Brown was asked to record with the band and was invited to join the band. In the end she rejected the offer and became a permanent member of The Go-Betweens. Chad's Tree supported not only John Cale in their first year, but also Nico, at the Prince of Wales in St Kilda, shortly after they moved east in the mid-1980s Chad's Tree issued its debut 7-inch single "Crush the Lily"/"Toll for Josephine" in November 1985 on the Hot label. They released subsequent singles, "Sweet Jesus Blue Eyes"/"To the Highest Bidder" in February 1987 and "Stroller in the Attic"/"The Orchard" in March 1988, as well as their debut albumBuckle in the Rail in January 1987 on the Nude label. The "Crush the Lily" and "Sweet Jesus Blue Eyes" singles were also combined on the four-track, 12-inch EPChad's Tree for release in the United Kingdom through Rough Trade Records. There were a number of different line-ups over the course of six years. As well as Kim Bettenay, the band's bass players included Mark Hemery, Peter Michael, Barry Turnbull and Simon Kain. Susan Grigg joined on piano and violin in 1987, and was replaced by Kathy Wemyss in 1989. Jason Kain also replaced Robert Snarski, who returned to Perth in October 1988 and went on to form The Blackeyed Susans The band issued a second album, Kerosene, in March 1989. After the band broke up Mark Snarski and Wemyss formed the Jackson Code. After touring with American crime writerJames Ellroy in 1996, Mark left Australia for Europe finally settling in Madrid. Rob Snarski lives in Melbourne, where he joined and is a pivotal member of The Blackeyed Susans. In March 2010Memorandum Records released a compilation album, Crossing Off the Miles, which included both studio albums, all the band's single and B-sides, together with eleven early demos and live recordings. The release also included a 32-page booklet with photos and liner notes from eight contributors including both Rob and Mark Snarski, authors Niall Lucy and David Nichols and band insiders.
