Read what Guitar World magazine says about meee in "Exposed: 10 Female Guitarists You Should Know About, Part 3"

INTERVIEW

"Oakland, California’s Ava Mendoza is a guitarist and composer who channels a broad range of influences, combining them into her own singular style. Country-blues, western swing, free jazz and heavy rock all find their way into her unique and exciting playing, and she has shared the stage with many luminaries from the west coast improv scene. We recently interviewed Ava about her appearance on Tompkins Square’s new showcase of Bay Area guitarists, Beyond Berkeley Guitar, which is out this week. Ava closes the collection with her composition “Redwood Regional Park Blues : Between Hay and Grass”.
-- Work and Worry
Read the June 2010 interview in "Work and Worry" guitar magazine.

REVIEWS

"... Ava plays with a sense of wonder, a sort of illusory naiveté, using a gritty-sounding, amplified Gibson ES125, exaggerating bends and ripping through runs with abandon. This dichotomy between sophistication and sense of wonder is in full bloom on her new solo guitar album, Shadow Stories.
Ava remarks that her solo work “draws a lot from early country and blues tunes, reworked (mangled?) in my own way” — she is self-taught in these styles, having picked up material from listening to records. For a good chunk of Shadow Stories, Ava takes on various country and blues staples, arranging them in a charismatic manner that mimics her playing technique. A rendition of Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King’s “Tennessee Waltz” opens the album, and contains one of its wonderfully nutty runs (at 1:12 and repeated at 4:16, if you have access to the track) as well as a lively ad-libbed passage between refrains.
Two nicely contrasting versions of Skip James’ oft-covered tune, “I’m So Glad,” also figure prominently on the disc. The more up-tempo version that closes this album is eerie in its channeling of the iconic Bentonia bluesman. The decision to play in B (as opposed to E) and reduce the amplification to a minimum, provides a sense of levity that is missing from the “Track 2” version.
Some of Ava’s best work is on “Goodnight Irene,” a tune attributed to the nineteenth century minstrel show composer and songwriter, Gussie Lord Davis, but often associated with Leadbelly’s version:Leadbelly – “Goodnight Irene”
Mendoza’s rendition uses a healthy amount of distortion and vibrato, expanding on the original form with a beautiful, moody passage of harmonics and minor chords in the second half:Ava Mendoza – “Goodnight Irene”
“Shadowtrapping,” the re-titled, alternate take of “Regional Redwood Blues,” feathers seamlessly among the vintage selections, working particularly well back-to-back with “Kiss of Fire,” the tango based on Argentine composer Angel G. Villoldo’s “El Choclo.” Translated to the guitar, this tune will probably remind some listeners of hot jazz master Django Rheinhart.
The country and blues material bookends a lengthy sequence of original solo work in the chaotic styles of Mendoza’s numerous Bay Area ensembles. “Don’t Pity Me (Up In Flames)” feels like the alter-ego of “Kiss of Fire,” with its heavy doses of delay-driven skronk forming a demented march. “The Furious Harpy Who Followed Me Everywhere” is introduced with a playful improvised passage, then morphs into a long and increasingly ominous section of pedal-manipulated noise. On “Penumbra: The Age Of Almost Living,” Ava employs her Jaguar reissue in lieu of the Gibson for a frenzied, acid-rock dirge. “In My Dreams” is a sort of inverse of “Furious Harpy,” with the noise section giving way to a delicate melody at the end, attributed to Gussie Lord Davis. The sequence of the album has a curious arc to it, and I’ll make no attempt to decipher it in this article… I will say that Ava’s facility on guitar, exhibited on the country and blues arrangements, made me more eager to fully absorb the chaotic pieces than I would have been with a player with an average skill set. I certainly hope Shadow Stories gets the attention it deserves, and look forward to the next solo offering by this very talented guitarist."
-- David Leicht, Work and Worry


"Just a gal and her guitar--or rather, a gal's guitar. Mendoza lets her fingers do the talking, and she picks and slashes her way around standards, country, the blues and whatever else she feels like taking a swipe at.
But this is no out-of-control, wild woman album. Mendoza plays these songs. She makes them sing. Her technique is impeccable, but her playing is astonishingly expressive. She doesn't just bend blue notes; she wads them up into a ball and throws them up against a wall.
Almost all instrumental guitar albums screw things up by adding a backing band. Some guitarists even think they can sing (ye gods!). Mendoza knows what she does well, which is tell stories with her guitar. Check that. Mendoza knows what she does better than almost anyone else on the planet, which is tell stories with her guitar.
From the first note, it's obvious that this album is the product of a master. Skill, taste and expression are all off the charts. If you don't weep while listening to this, then you have no soul."
-- Aiding & Abetting, Issue 317


"Shadow Stories (RSPT037) by Ava Mendoza turns out... to be a crackling disc of superlative instrumental guitar work by this consummate musician from Oakland in California. She’s worked on avant-garde and improv projects (and also does electronic music), but this delightful record is a collection of fairly straight-ahead blues, country and jazz tunes played with such conviction, fire and infectious passion that you’ll be shivering with pleasure for its duration. Apparently it’s equally thrilling to watch her perform live (her body and hands twitch like jumping beans), and that energy translates directly onto the disc here thanks to the vivid recording quality courtesy of engineer The Norman Conquest. Back in the day, I think she would have been showcased on a rootsy label like Rounder Records or Arhoolie, but here she be on this outre experimental label cooking up a storm with her six strings and her warm, old-fashioned hollow-bodied wooden guitar. American traditional guitar craft at its finest! Total recommendation for this corking record from me, but then I’m also a fan of Sam Chatmon, Roy Smeck and Joseph Spence."
-- Ed Pinsent, The Sound Projector


"Bay Area music fans who know guitarist Ava Mendoza from the punk attack of Mute Socialite, from her noisy guitar experiments on compilations like Women Take Back the Noise, from her noisy work with Weasel Walter — is going to be surprised to hear a straight-up reading of “The Tennessee Waltz” and “I’m So Glad” opening this album. I was.
So, the jazz references in interviews and bios turn out to be for real, and not too distant from what Mendoza’s still into. “The Tennessee Waltz” gets into some unconventional ad-libbing but sticks to its country/blues mood, with a bright and rough-edged guitar sound that evokes a stage in a dusty bar graced with long afternoon shadows.
And you know what? That’s how the whole first half of the album goes!
Yes, this dark gray package that I was taking for a noisefest turns out to be a celebration of roots guitar in a western-swing style.
But only at first, because if you’re on the Resipiscent label, home to guys like this, the noise is sure to come. “The Furious Harpy” lists into some relaxing, distorted ambiance — backwards notes, guitar tones sampled into bouncing-pebble tapping — that gradually turns dark and steely, with stomping guitar from a very non-jazz place. It’s a 12-minute turning point.
That sets us up for two more unsettling tracks. “Penumbra: The Age of Almost Living” returns to a regular musical structure, but now it’s dark, slow, and slightly twisted, like evil biker music. “In My Dreams” puts fragments of guitar melody into an echoey, plinky environment, a dream that’s not a nightmare but still not quite right.
Then, abruptly, the album switches back to friendly jazz for its closing tracks. “Goodnight Irene” gets a particularly nice, expansive treatment.
Getting back to the subject of Mendoza’s jazz/swing playing — it’s terrific. “Shadowtrapping” is upbeat, combining some old-timey tricks with newer improvising ideas that break the mold but not the mood. With a second overdubbed guitar laying down the rhythm, Mendoza shows off some playfully fancy lead lines. “Kiss of Fire” has a darker mood, like an ancestor of rockabilly, but the same snappy jazz rhythm and great creative soloing. They’re tracks you can really sink your teeth into.
Mendoza gets to show multiple sides of her personality on this album. It’s a release to be proud of.
-- Memory Select: Avant-jazz Radio


"Here’s an album I was very close to not reviewing. Eva Mendoza is a guitar player who plays this kind of bluesy, folk, Hawaiian music on Shadow Stories. It’s “solo” guitar music with perhaps some multi tracking here and there. I’m not a guitar player but I would guess she is a damn good guitarist. The songs are relaxed, peaceful, and daydreaming. Something I wouldn’t normally be too into but Shadow Stories doesn’t seem to be showing off. Rather the songs here are perfect for sitting on the front porch on a nice warm day and enjoying a cold beer.
If that was all Shadow Stories was though, I wouldn’t be reviewing it here. After about 20 minutes of such laid-back songs “The Furious Harpy Who Followed Me Everywhere” kicks in and begins with the same go lucky guitar riffage that can be heard in the rest of the album. Within 5 minutes though it has worked itself up to a shimmering texture of warbling guitar strings, harmonic droning feedback, and delayed bits and pieces sparkling on the edges. By the 8 minute mark the change in atmosphere is more than noticeable and quite welcome. Following this are two more tracks along the same lines “Penumbra: The Age Of Almost Living” and “In My Dreams.” These tracks continue to evolve, sometimes subtly working themselves into shadows of the more bluesy melodies but in a much stranger state. Like hazy drunken memories returning after a hung over recollection.
And then, like a smack in the face, it’s all over. “Goodnight, Irene” is back to the guitar jams. There is quite a contrast between these two styles of tracks, but somehow Mendoza still manages to make them fit. Aurally, they stick out like a sore thumb but conceptually they bring Mendoza’s intentions to a much deeper place.
The only other artist I’m reminded of by Mendoza’s music is that of Jack Rose, though this is quite different. Less complex, less otherworldly, but a similar vibe. Sometimes the guitar riffs get a little flashier than they need to be but there’s never a time when I outright cringed. Mendoza manages to keep her hands from showing off and focuses on the melodies and elaborations instead.
Not something I’d normally listen to, but good for certain occasions. Recommended for guitarists who like to hear some laid-back guitar work, people who enjoy music with a bluesy or Hawaiian vibe."
-- Existence Establishment


" Then there’s Ava Mendoza’s “Redwood Regional Park Blues: Between Hay and Grass.” Overdubbing with slightly-dirty-toned jazz box electric guitars, Mendoza unfurls a swing/blues epic of sometimes smooth, sometimes stuttering line and melody. In its blues-based expressionism and bravely exploratory, always-changing phrasing, it suggests something like the spirit of Lonnie Johnson finding voice in some surprising new ideas.
-- Dusted Magazine


"... while most players here go it alone, Ava Mendoza on her “Redwood Regional Park Blues: Between Hay And Grass” not only works an amplified guitar, but engages a bit of sloppy gypsy swing that sits at the apex of nascent rock and roll and country. The fluidity with which she moves between her assembled ensemble doesn’t hint at the noisier work she sometimes prefers, but does explicate an almost unwieldy amount of talent."
-- Folk Music Talk

" ...last but in no ways least ava mendoza (yes an actual xx chromosome among xy dominated musical dna). the highlight of the compilation for me. proffering a lilting, lolloping, djazzy, django flecked swirl of grasping blues. like an unloved balloon falling high into the sky, string and ribbon trailing twirling desperately towards the cold earth, lifting ever higher knowing that only exquisite doom awaits… or maybe that’s just me."
-- Earz Mag


Special mention... to Ava Mendoza... standing out with an electric, jazzy skip with overtones of Django Reinhardt.
-- Uncut: Music and Movies with Something to Say


"... Ava Mendoza's “Redwood Regional Park Blues: Between Hay & Grass” is paradoxically the folksiest creation, the most spontaneous and free-wheeling, yet the only one that's double-tracked. It’s a dazzling conclusion to a thoroughly entrancing collection..."
-- Sound Fix Record Store


"The headlining quartet featured Scott Amendola (Nels Cline, Charlie Hunter) on drums, Thomas Dimuzio (more adventurous, noise-minded projects than even could be hinted at here) on keyboards, Jon Evans (Tori Amos) on bass, and Ava Mendoza (Mute Socialite) on guitar. Together they summoned up a mix of Discipline-era King Crimson, and more broadly the fusion bands that flourished as various individuals left various “electric-era” bands of the late trumpeter Miles Davis and ventured down various different paths. Mendoza in particular mixed Crimson leader Robert Fripp’s looping and arcane scales with Adrian Belew’s penchants for backward effects and squawking seagull sounds.
At times I found myself thinking of MVVP, the New Orleans supergroup consisting of Stanton Moore, Johnny Vidacovich, Rich Vogel, and George Porter, though Amendola and company were less interested in trance-like communal music-making, and more in simultaneous individual soloing that allowed for stark, illuminating contrasts."
--Marc Weidenbaum, Disquiet Killing Prog: Amendola, Dimuzio, Evans, Mendoza & Dominique Leone


"Ava Mendoza's haunting guitar riffs... set the mood for a tale of man at war with the gods, a man doomed to murder his father and marry his mother."
--Karen D'Souza, Mercury News on the soundtrack for Oedipus El Rey at the Magic Theater in SF


"...haunting resonant guitar by Ava Mendoza..."
-- Sam Hurwitt, The Idiolect


"The first time I saw Ava Mendoza was as Carla Bozulich's shredding guitarist in her band Evangelista. She was a wizard on a semi-circle of effects pedals, but having kept tabs on her since, I've found she's equally adept with FX-less technique. Imagine Dick Dale shredding with Derek Bailey, then forget everything you know about either -- that's Ava Mendoza."
-- Lars Gotrich, A Blog Supreme/NPR Jazz


"Then there's guitarist Ava Mendoza, who uncoiled angular, No Wave-inspired, barbed wire riffs with Mute Socialite..."
--John Graham, SF WEEKLY


"Especially Doublespeak plays an intense free-rock for electric guitar, drums and electronics. Great unit and Ava Mendoza surely is a name to watch."
-- Vital Weekly #461 Week 6


"The Bay-area's Ava Mendoza is a well-established improvisor, composer and electronicist. This one is an aggressive and glitchy affair that was far noisier than I had expected. A Moog synthesizer gets a brutal run-through with no remorse but much to the delight of these ears...
... Ava Mendoza returns for a minute and a half of impeccable electronic music. Stylistically, it bears an uncanny resemblance to classic musique concret, although I'm not sure if any acoustic sources are actually employed. I'd love to play this for someone in a blindfold test and have them place it historically. Perhaps being the best piece in this entire collection, I mean that as a compliment."
-- Heathen Harvest on Women Take Back the Noise compilation, 2/1/08



ON MUTE SOCIALITE:

"Featuring violent, machine-shop baritone guitar from Ava Mendoza, song after song boils industrial rock back to its most basic elements. Think early Blonde Redhead playing hammers on anvils, feedback and groove. And music this alive on record is destined to be even better live."
-- Nate Carson, Willamette Week


"Mute Socialite... draw freely from free-jazz, improv, metal, and noise to create pounding and unorthodox sonic vignettes that are impressive for their velocity as well as their technical dexterity... the songs are engaging and controlled (even when it doesn't necessarily sound that way), and there's nothing fey or abstract about their demanding sonic wallop. This is an experimental / free-jazz album that hardcore metalheads can appreciate (or should that be the other way around?), with plenty of dynamics and surprising changes in direction to go with the hyperkinetic drumming, machine-gun riffing, and howling guitar excess."
-- The One True Dead Angel


"Rapid-fire, agile pieces, a slashing noisy attack with thickly dissonant chords. A sense of abandon but played with precision. Solid, crisp rhythms and speedy riffs -- so you can rock out *and* enjoy your brutal harsh noise all at once...The skeleton of prog's multifaceted writing, the blood of 150-degree speed metal, the overcaffeinated nerves of well executed punk rock."
-- Craig Matsumoto, KZSU Zookeeper


"..Arguably one of the most aggressive and tight groups I’ve ever seen."
-- Gabe Gomez, Santa Fe Reporter, 9/26/2008 of Mute Socialite