 Early in 1990, Rees returned to Edmonton to join SNFU members Marc Belke, Brent Belke and Curtis Creager in a new project, then named The Ship of Fools, in the wake of SNFU's first breakup.The group soon renamed themselves The Wheat Chiefs and added former Broken Smiles bassist Trent Buhler after the departure of Creager.Rees played with the group for the next two years, but quit in 1992 after SNFU reformed and his bandmates' attention shifted.