Scout Finch

Brisbane’s Jackie Boccaccio, 20, has always been known for her cheekiness, but now it’s literally out of this world.

Not content with just producing a song as part of her final studies at Bachelor of Music at the Queensland University of Technology, Jackie decided to go the extra mile and self-fund her first album based on the adventures of a futuristic songstress who comes back to today in the search for love.

Inspired by David Bowie’s concept album Ziggy Stardust, Jackie created her stage persona Cheeky Velvet, and is just weeks away from releasing her debut EP ‘The Adventures of Velvet’ in October at West End’s The Be
arded Lady. 

The back story behind Cheeky Velvet is set in year 2115, where a mad scientist and his offsider decide to save the world from the bleak future that lies ahead.

They create a scientifically modified girl they call Velvet. They download all of the world’s knowledge to Velvet, while she lies in her cryo-tube; however they refuse to teach her about love, so as not to distract her from her mission.

The offsider develops feelings for Velvet. He disobeys the scientist and while she is sleeping he tells her what love is. The day comes to wake Velvet up and send her back to 2015. Velvet awakes from her slumber, blows the lackey a kiss and is sent back to 2015, where her adventures begin.

The ‘Adventures of Velvet’ will feature six songs and pays homage to David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust. The album is a conceptual story with elements of sci-fi fantasy and upbeat modern day love themed pop songs, all done with Jackie’s much-loved quirky tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

“I didn’t just want to just create a body of work,” Jackie said. “I wanted to create a story and a character that people could lose themselves in. I feel like it’s another edge to my art and if you’re a super fan you can sink your teeth into the story.”

“I’ve been sitting on these songs for so long and now being in the final year of my degree at QUT, I thought now is the time. Why am I waiting?

“I’ve always wanted to do this and now I can. I’m a very creative person and ultimately consider myself a songwriter and an artist. So it was an amazing feeling being able to hear my quirky songs that I’ve dreamt up come to life with the help of my producer, Hayden Johns.”

Jackie has always been inspired by retro and vintage, 1940s style, comic book pop art, pin ups, crazy 80s fashion, power dressing, as well as the modern/dominant sexy, and says Cheeky Velvet is a combination of all her loves thrown in together.

“The look is very pin-up with the bangs, but also quite futuristic with the V fringe, and I have to say if I wasn’t called Cheeky Velvet, I’d probably be called Cheeky Latex,” Jackie said.  “I also love musicians that consider themselves to be visual artists and take pride in the different art forms in their work such as fashion, film, dance and drama. It inspires me to entertain my audiences!”

Known for her love of performance, costumes and theatrics, Jackie is already causing a splash of colour throughout the Brisbane music scene. The Brisbane-born singer and songwriter is musically influenced by Eurythmics, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Dita Von Teese and Amy Winehouse.

Her eccentric style and passion for fun, drama, and creativity is expressed heavily throughout her tongue-in-cheek music. Her aim is to revolutionise the Australian music scene through her own unique lens, and bring together an explosion of dance, and theatre in her performance. And most importantly, get people dancing again!

“Overall the EP is pop music,” Jackie said. “Mostly pop rock with electropop influences. I just wanted to create something entertaining that people can belt out to in their car, and get them on the dance floor which is the beauty of Pop.

“I am tired of going out and seeing people not dancing, to the club beats, particularly the ones that have no vocals and are just boring! I just want people to go mental on the dance floor to my music, and be able to rock out and sing along!”

The first single from the album is Crazy for You and can now be streamed free on the ‘Cheeky Velvet’ Soundcloud as well as being available to purchase on iTunes. The launch party for The Adventures of Velvet EP will be on Sunday October 18 at the Bearded Lady in West End, which will also be up for purchase on iTunes. Tickets are $10 and available at the door.

In our house Sundays are truly as easy as a Sunday morning.

Given our unusual work schedules, we try to reserve the day for relaxing, catching up and basically doing our best impersonations of lizards who graze all day.

Just bliss.

While the word Sunday can strike fear in many with its close proximity to Monday, it’s a word that is celebrated in this household. Another reason I love the word so much is its connection to my new found obsession – Sunday Social.

Photo courtesy of Sunday Social

This is a quirky and very cool boutique found at Winn Lane in Fortitude Valley. Step down a side street off Ann Street, Fortitude Valley and you will discover Winn Street Laneway.

The shop has been open for four-and-a-half years now and is the brain child of funkster Jessica Barty, who adores mixing new pieces with clothing from the 70s.

The laneway shop boasts a mix of local finds, their own designs, lots of vintage and very cool new treasures from the USA and Japan.

A visit to Sunday Social is a must and is surrounded by some cool places, such as a coffee shop, burger joint, hair salon, recording studio, boutiques and working spaces in Winn Lane, which in itself is becoming a creative pocket in Brisbane’s inner city.

Hidden behind historic Shannon’s building which houses the iconic Zoo live music venue, this small laneway is a hive of activity for Brisbane’s creative types and those seeking something different

And word is due to the success of this place, the team behind Sunday Social are going to be popping up in Melbourne early next year.

Photo courtesy of Sunday Social

Make sure you check out their website – but be warned they have way too much stuff to put up online, so do make the time to visit the actual shop and rummage through their treasure trove of goodies.

Founded in 2000, AURA by Tracie Ellis has always strived to create uninhibited, stylish bed linen, homewares and rugs.

And for probably the same amount, I’ve had a mad crush for their beautiful items. Our house is a walking Aura catalogue. With the release of their new stock, I though now would be a great time to speak to the marvellous woman behind the range – Tracie.

Tracie is a talented textile designer who created AURA. She designs every range with her small team of creatives from her office in Melbourne. She is a bit of a workaholic but has recently become the proud owner of a magnificent country home. She retreats there every weekend with her husband David and their dog Max. She loves to cook and garden and entertain friends who live in the same country town.

See below for our small chat and check out the photos of her new release!

Tell me about Aura

Although inspired by years of global meandering, we design all our products back home in Melbourne, and while we’ve seen many trends come and go, we believe it’s our forward-looking approach that sets us apart. We have had an evolution over those 14 years, from muted textures to extravagant colour, grand shapes and daring patterns. AURA is all about fashion in the home – we love the combination of amazing colour, bold prints & the unique hand–made. Yes, AURA is a little bit Scandinavian, a little bit Indian, but AURA is mainly a whole lot of Melbourne.

How big is the team?
The Aura team consists of seven very passionate & talented team members plus our dedicated warehouse staff.

Will aura ever open a store, or happy to continue online sales and being a stockist for larger stores?
Never say never, it would be fabulous to one day have an AURA concept store. Watch this space!

What is in store for 2015?
We will be 15 years old! 15 years of fabulous homewares being launched with a brand new range of bedding, accessories, rugs and towels, all at the Feb 2015 Life in Style fair in Sydney.

Your website says the inspiration is Scandinavian meet Indian? Why those two influences?
I travel a lot, for business and pleasure, and in my travels I love to visit Scandinavia and India in particular. I have been visiting India for over 20 years and working with the same suppliers, who are not just business partners but friends.

One thing I love the most about the Aura products is the beautiful materials – my red flower (light blue backing) doona (bought 2 years ago) has the most gorgeous material – where do the team source their material/fabrics from?

That particular “Peony” design is printed on a beautiful long staple pure cotton sateen. All of our fabrics are sourced from India, China and Thailand and we only use the highest quality fabrics to ensure softness and longevity. All of our bedlinen is woven from either Pure Cotton or Linen Cotton and we pride ourselves on giving the customer great quality fabric on the front and reverse of our products. We are also very proud of our hand-made products made in India, we have a very special supplier who hand screen-prints all of our AURA cushions.

I love how you partner with great names and brands – ie Jason Grant etc. Who else do you partner with and what are the benefits?
It is great to be able to collaborate with partners in our industry – it is as a way of working with other very talented people and companies and being able to make our loyal customers aware of other like-minded brands and people, and their fabulous products. As well as Jason we have also partnered with Ergoflex memory foam mattresses – an amazing range of memory foam mattress that have only been available in Australia for a few year. Good bed linen needs a superior mattress! And we have another great partnership coming up. Watch this space for more info.

To check out their website visit www.aurahome.com.au or click here