Sept 22, 2023: DESIRE PATHS

In 2000, while studying cello, composition, and electronic music at UC Santa Cruz, Erica Mulkey chose the stage name Unwoman from Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. She had been writing songs since age 13, inspired by Tori Amos and Trent Reznor (hey, it was the 90s) but her first public releases on on mp3.com were wildly experimental -- then in 2005 she had an epiphany that she wanted to focus on writing Actual Songs. She currently works full-time as a cellist-singer-songwriter-producer and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the Before Time Unwoman performed at steampunk conventions and major events all over the US. Her song "The Heroine" was featured in both Welcome to Night Vale's "Triptych" episode and the steampunk documentary Vintage Tomorrows. In 2015 she received the Steampunk Chronicle Reader's Choice Award for Best Solo Musician and Best Album with Circling. She has also collaborated with Halou/Stripmall Architecture, Eliza Rickman, Anthony Jones & Monica Richards, Vernian Process, Abney Park, Amanda Palmer, Rasputina, Voltaire, Nathaniel Johnstone, The Cog Is Dead, Paul Mercer, and many other acts. In Summer of 2023 Unwoman held her 19th successful kickstarter campaign for her ninth original album Desire Paths. She has also released seven full volumes of dramatic and imaginative cover songs. She continues to do all her own engineering and production, and relishes all stages of song creation. Beginning in 2015 Unwoman's newest songs, about two per month, have been available to subscribers as soon as they're finished. A subscription comes with at least one covers album and one original album, access to every song Unwoman has made since the latest official release (over a dozen!) and the knowledge that you're helping a truly independent musician pay her bills. Or you can listen to all official releases on Spotify — Unwoman's personal choices, vastly superior to The Algorithm's picks, are over here.