Cinzia Moniaci didn’t need Judy Garland to teach her there’s no place like home. Check out “Rome”—the latest single from her band, Cinzia and the Perfect Nines—on which the Italian-born L.A. transplant imparts the thrill of waking up to find herself in “the city alive,” with the “beauty all around” signaling she has landed in Paradise itself. And when the irresistible chorus hits, her nativist joy explodes into the kind of full-on boosterism that could land her a job with the tourism board:
Rome
Opening my mind
Coloring my soul
With its beauty never-ending
Always trending
Wakes me up inside
Makes me feel alive
And I can’t believe I get to call her home
As if her stance needed reinforcing, Moniaci even slips in a few lines sung in her mother tongue during the song’s outro vamp. Meanwhile, there’s a separately recorded version of the song, “Roma,” that’s performed entirely in Italian. But since a picture is worth the proverbial thousand words, the Perfect Nines have also shot a companion music video that’s a mouth-watering travelogue of Roman sights and locations. One watch, and you’ll want to book your flight immediately … as soon as you’re done listening, that is.
The whole package is a transcontinental slam dunk for Moniaci, guitarist Rico Quevedo (with whom she partnered up in their previous band, Bionica) and guest lead guitarist Ermanno Fabbri. The vibe they’ve all captured on “Rome” is an infectious hybrid of radio-rock anthemry and hip-swaying Mediterranean flair—and in its way, that sound is the perfect encapsulation of the band’s own story. Moniaci relocated to Southern California from Italy in the late ‘90s, and in the ensuing years, she and Quevedo have maintained a strong live presence in both environments, with shows at Saint Rocke and Sangria in Hermosa Beach, the Hotel Café in Hollywood, Zelo’s World in Monaco and Kogin in Turino, Italy.
The group’s self-titled debut album dropped in 2009, yielding tracks like Don’t You Worry and Life Goes On, and they’re currently hard at work on their second. If that seems like a long wait, it’s honestly amazing they’ve been able to find the time at all. Moniaci has a thriving business as a fashion designer, having founded the company Moni Moni, which specializes in luxury handbags and accessories. She’s also worked as a fashion correspondent for top publications like GQ and InStyle. (Is it any wonder all three musicians look great in the “Rome” video?) And that’s not counting her stints providing music for TV shows from Dawson’s Creek to Charmed to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or her parallel recording career as a solo artist: Her rendition of Jules Shear’s “If She Knew What She Wants,” made famous by The Bangles, was a hit in the U.K.
So no, it’s no big surprise that the country that gave us the Renaissance would produce a true Renaissance woman. Cinzia and the Perfect Nines are more than a mere vehicle for a restless fashion designer’s artistic curiosity; nor are they just a wryly named bunch of modern rockers with a personal yen for the Eternal City. They’re like Rome itself: timeless, zesty, and perpetually engaging in a way that’ll keep you coming back for more. Have your passport ready.
