Until 1987, when this was originally recorded, Mark Graham was a member of Boston’s infamous Chicken Chokers. The Choker’s liquor fueled, frantic twin banjo skronk (clawhammer and tenor) infused the heretofore stuffy East Coast “Old Time” music scene with an often irreverent and well deserved kick in the pants. Much of their instrumental whollop came from Graham’s bare fisted harmonica playing, in what sounded like a relentless cage rules, death match with Choker fiddler Chad Crumm. They released a wondrous split LP w/ The Horse Flies (“Chokers and Flies, Old Time Music,” 1985) on Rounder, foreshadowing the coming resurgence of interest in Old-Time country, and broke up.

Graham may best be known these days as a wickedly clever songwriter, seamlessly crossing old timey song traditions with thoroughly modern lyric content. His tunes have been covered by folks like Brian Bowers, Austin Lounge Lizards, (who got  the bluesy “Life Is Hard When You're Dumb” from this record,) among many others. 

Rounder Records passed on Natural Selections, (“Not professional enough,” they said. Not the record, as they admitted they didn’t even listen to it, but Mark himself evidently. The Chokers had quite a reputation.) It was originally released on LP a tiny upstate New York folk label, best known for recordings of pensive hammered dulcimer music, and it’s subsequent lack of distribution made it a bit of a cult item.

The 14 tunes on Natural Selections fall into 2 categories: hilariously witty songs “in an old-timey style” and deft instrumental workouts, balancing novelty factor to genuine musical accomplishment pretty evenly. In other words “Yeah he’s funny and all, but boy can he sure play.”

As for the songs, his subject matter is haunted by tales transsexual love (“Rufus and Beverly,”)  persistent vegetarianism (“Workin’ On The Food Chain, Veal Life Blues,”) reverse evolution (“Their Brains Were Small and They Died, The Big Band Theory”) Buddhism (“I Can See Your Aura,”) and the joys and  perils of picking up strange women in bars, (“Curly Headed Woman.”) Sometimes acaplella, or with tasteful sparse accompaniment from fellow Choker alumni Crumm and Chip Taylor Smith on guitar. On two numbers Graham is joined by the Horse Flies, in not coincidentally, some of their best work on record. Fiddler Matt Galser (lately of the Beacon Hillbillies) puts in fine performances as well.

For the instrumentals, Graham shows off his strong fiddle-like approach, ably handling that instruments’ traditional role in duets with Choker banjoist Stefan Senders, sparking genuine life into old chestnuts like “Lost Indian” and “Mississippi Sawyer.” 

Like any good punk rocker, Mark has reissued “Natural Selections” on CD on his own. He peddles it off the stage at his gigs around the upper North West, not far from his Seattle home, most often in duet with multi-instrumentalist Orville Johnson and lately with new neighbor Bad Livers banjoist Danny Barnes. 

You can get it mail order (4922 46th Ave. South, Seattle WA  98118.) Four and a half stars, out of 5.Worth it alone for the infectious groove on the cautionary “Curly Headed Stranger” by itself.
 
 

Mark Rubin