Ava Mendoza is a guitarist, singer/songwriter, composer, and bandleader based in Brooklyn, New York. She leads the globetrotting avant-rock trio Unnatural Ways and records and performs in a variety of contexts. She is a first-call session musician who has worked with bandleaders including William Hooker, Nate Wooley, and Jon Irabagon. Her knotty, dynamic, yet intricately melodic playing style intersects rock, jazz, metal, and funk through years of classical and improvisational training. Mendoza made her solo recording debut with Shadow Stories in 2010. In 2015 Unnatural Ways recorded its self-titled debut as a trio with drummer Nick Tamburro and multi-instrumentalist Dominique Leone. After moving to New York, Mendoza continued the group with bassist Tim Dahl and drummer Sam Ospovat on 2016's We Aliens and 2019's The Paranoia Party. In 2021, she joined bassist William Parker and drummer Gerald Cleaver for the widely acclaimed Mayan Space Station.