SOUNDS LIKE: Third Eye Blind, Counterfit

LOCATION: Los Angeles

WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/msantucci

Monika Santucci is an up-and-coming artist from Los Altos. A devoted musician, she is proficient in playing guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, violin and tambourine. She also writes her own songs and performs lead vocals for her current solo project.

Santucci is currently writing and recording music using her own name and hopes to get picked up by a record label in the near future, although she is considering adopting a pseudonym. She was formerly the lead member of the band Art Dictionary, which recently disbanded. She has also played in the bands Sunday Law and Pale Like You at venues such as Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles and Slim’s in San Francisco.

Santucci has already had some interesting experiences performing live with her previous bands. Some of her craziest observations while performing include such bizarre acts as a ceremonial pineapple cutting, or a kid ripping off a piece of the ceiling and bashing other members of the crowd with it.

Santucci started as a musician in 2000 when she picked up a guitar and bought her own recording equipment. This led her to begin writing and recording original music. She recently recorded a full-length demo and distributed it to several labels, which she began auditioning for this month. She hopes to get signed to a record label as soon as possible so she can release her full-length debut album, titled “So Begins the Test of a Lady,” in July of this year.

The songstress takes a “stream of thought” approach to her songwriting, which is inspired by her own life experiences.

“Everything I write about is very personal,” she said. “I feel like everybody goes through archetypal experiences, so I think it’s universal at the same time.” Once she thinks of a song in her head, she tries to record it as soon as possible.

Santucci cites inspiration from Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind and the San Diego rock band Counterfit.

As far as her plans for the future, Santucci wants to finish writing the album herself and then hire a band to record it. She hopes to start recording “So Begins the Test of a Lady” next month so she can release it this summer. Although she has no specific tour dates booked yet, she hopes to hit the road soon after the album is released. Once she gets a supporting band together, she plans to play shows in San Diego, Los Angeles and the Bay Area among other regions, so be sure to look out for this talented young artist this summer.