Hello, hello! It’s Monday, welcome to our 6th installation of the Confessional. This week we’re turning the spotlight onto a lady that gets plenty of it already, Miss Roxy Summers aka Oxy Cottontail. If you’re a New York partier then you’ve probably been to AT LEAST a few of her parties, if not you’ve most likely heard her name more than a dozen times. Since making her debut as a party promoter this girl has been stealing the spotlight left and right and with a new title of “performer/songwriter” under her belt you’ll be seeing and hearing lots more from her!
Can’t stop the bunny hop!
Read on to learn more about our favorite blondie bunny…
Name and Age, please:
Roxy Summers (aka Roxy, and sometimes Oxy Cottontail), Too young to Die
Marital status:
So single
Where are you from?
The rolling hills of Columbia, Maryland
How long have you lived in New York?
9.5 years with a brief 10 month hiatus in Philly after 9/11. So approx 8.5 years.
What neighborhood in NY do you live in?
I like to call my hood Curry Hill. But I think it’s Kips Bay or Murray Hill. Its dope, always got cabs and curry.
What are your favorite memories of New York since living here?
I have sooo many!!!!!!! Going to Pratt and my boyfriend Bill Buchina in those years, schooled me in Hip Hop and discovering every block of the city, Transportation Design classes with Prof. Martin Skalski and long late hours in the Trans studio, Riding BMX bikes with my friend and once roommate Justine D., a !!! Boat party, a party bodog.com threw in the jiggy ass Rainbow Room and Busta Rhymes performed 2 feet from my face (the dancefloor of Rainbow Room is rotating but you don’t realize it until u get off the dancefloor, it’s a fucked up way to get people more fucked up), Putting Hollertronix and Spankrock on in NYC, Meeting Aron the Don and working with him and building a scene together, this ill loft party in south Slope that Japanther performed at and I was swinging from the ceiling ona swing above the mosh pit the whole time, running game on dudes who think I’m a dumb blonde, taking mescaline and going to FAO Schwarts in 97, discovering CLAW at a photoshoot, becoming friends and having her for a mentor, bringing my parents to my parties, Harold Hunter (RIP), bringing the south to north with Houston So Real (Devin Tha Dude..SCREW YORK CITY, RIP DJ Screw), Bringing Andre Nickatina to NYC from the Bay, hustling in heels, partying with my posse of fly ass bunnies on the regular, taking JuJu of the Beatnuts to his first Spankrock show at the Bowery Ballroom, club kidding all day every day and becoming a club promoter and creating this fairytale life that is Oxy Cottontail. And in general making it rain on downtown NYC.
Did you give yourself the name Oxy Cottontail ’cause of the OC dosey?
More or less…Drugs and booty.
We hear you went to school for industrial design, is this true? What school did you attend and have you worked in the I.D. field?
Yeah its true! I went to Pratt Institute of Art + Design and graduated with a degree in Industrial Design. Before I became a promoter I worked in jewelry design, beauty branding and cosmetic packaging which is essentially accessory design, package design and indirectly industrial design. BUT, I have always felt like designing events is a more abstract industrial design. I design atmosphere in a weird way. I suppose I design the negative space of spaces?
How did you get started throwing parties and what kind of crowd was it for?
I started to throw parties because Justine D was my roommate for 4 years, I indirectly learned some tricks of the trade by living with her. I became a club promoter through osmosis. I saw her lifestyle everyday for 4 years and she saw the outgoing nature I have and made me a sub-promoter for Motherfucker. Then after 9/11, I moved to Philly and stumbled upon these really dope DJs/producers in Philly called Hollertronix and now more commonly knows as Diplo and Low Budget. I loved this party like my own….so I talked to Justine and she and Dave Pianka convinced me that I should promote them in NYC so I moved back and started promoting on the side with a fulltime design job. I threw the parties for anyone really, anyone who wanted to dance and get drunk to amazing music and booty shakin’ beats.
How are the parties you throw now different from the ones you were first throwing?
Well the parties I throw now are much more consistent. When I first started I really was just learning so much and doing it on a monthly or one-off basis. I was just learning the ropes, I got the ropes down now. There’s also more people coming out and now I have fans.
What do you consider a major turning point in your career this far?
Probably being interviewed on 20/20. The whole country saw it. MY extended family saw it. Also getting booked last year to DJ in Hawaii by Roxy Quiksilver for the Anniversary of 50 years of Womens competitive surfing was when I knew I had a good thing going.
You recently started writing and performing your own songs, how would you describe your music?
Hmm my music is kinda no wave disco nursery rap right now but I’m still finding my voice.
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Where do you get your inspiration for your music?
My music comes from everything I see and hear. My life…the streets of NYC, nightlife, boys, fashion, John Waters films, beaches, my managers ear + suggestions, current rap and old school punk.
Who are your musical influences?
Xray Specs, Diplo, Wendy O Williams and the Plasmatics, Rod Lee, Madonna, The Zombies, Slick Rick, ESG, Roxanne Shante, Debbie Deb, Spankrock, Jay Z, the Misfits, Turbonegro, Trina, Trick Daddy, Armand Van Helden, Amanda Blank, Dre Skull and Jake Jefferson.
Tell us about your experiences performing so far. Where have you travelled and how did the crowd react?
Performing is amazing! I’m a ham and have sooo much fun on stage. I’m becoming a little bit of a comedian too. : ) Playing for Europe is sooo DOPE! I have traveled to Copenhagen, Paris, Vancouver and in February LA, Portland, Switzerland + Stockholm. Copenhagen was by far the best (thanks to super promoter Rasmus Schack in CPH) the massive crowd went insane for me. New York is weird cause it’s a lot of my friends and I’m not sure if they like me or like my music, or what they really think.
We hear your manager is our longtime mischievous friend, Peter Oasis. How did you two link? Is it true you two didn’t get along when you first met?
Ahhhh ha! Yeah Peter Oasis is my manager and he is holding me and my career down. I knew of him for awhile (he booked Hollertronix in 2004 through me) and we linked one day in the beginning of the 06 summer, he asked me to lunch…and I think he was just curious about me. We went to another lunch near the end of the summer and I was complaining about my work load and how I wanted to do so much more with music and my life. I told him I needed someone to manage everything for me and it dawned on me!….he was perfect for the job so I just asked him and he said yes! He is in fact Peter Cottontail so it makes sense. When I first met him in 04, I was judging him on the company he kept at the time. Which isn’t his fault but I just couldn’t stand this one person he worked with. He no longer works with said person so it’s all good now. Had he never worked with that person, I think we would’ve been working together a lot sooner. Live N Direct for life!!!!
You were in Miami for a minute, what’s going on down there?
Mami! Mami! Miami issss theeee shiiiaat!! I started hosting once a month down there for a party called Money $hot at Pawn Shop Lounge. The scene is super dope, the kids are really openminded, the nightlife is just as insane as Berlin but the weather is banging!! I always have a blast down there. Super promoters Jake Jefferson, Xavier Burt + DJ Contra at the bottom of the map always holding it down. I’ll be back this Thursday Feb 1st at Pawn Shop with DJ A-trak for Super Bowl weekend!!!
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Give us a brief rundown of your promoting, DJing, and performing resume this far.
Oh wow. This will take too long. Check my site: www.oxycottontail.com
How many nights a week are you out?
3 paying nights and 1 or 2 to be seen and scope the scene. So ideally 4. I’m on the low more now that I’m traveling, writing and recording. I used to go out 6 nights a week.
What other projects or events are you currently involved or have recently been involved with?
I have 3 weekly parties right now in NYC:
Mondays, Sway - 305 Spring St. (I book the night and host)
Wednesdays, Higher Ground at Lotus - 409 West 14th St. (I host)
and Sweet Tooth every Thursday at NoCa - 323 W. Bway (I DJ + host)
I have a monthly party at Beauty Bar in Austin, Texas with DJ Prince Klassen called “Fun Times”
I have a monthly in Miami called “Money Shot” @ Pawn Shop Lounge
I’m working on a new NYC monthly with Bijules that will blow people from below the Mason Dixon away. I can’t wait for that. It’s coming soon.
I’m also a contributing writer to Missbehave Magazine with Justine D. Our column is called “Wanna Battle?” The next issue will be priceless! And I’m just in the lab working on music and traveling a bunch to DJ and perform.
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You plan on coming out with an album?
I don’t want to say much about this but something is definitely going down.
Who’s work in the music business do you admire?
Peter Oasis, Justine D., Cosmo Baker, Madonna, Jay Z, Ego Trip, Jessica Rosenblum, Lyor Cohen, DJ Drama + Cannon, Disco D (RIP).
Is it tough being a female doing what you’re doing?
It was difficult to get established at first and I had to learn A LOT about what is personal and what is business. But now its easy, I love being a girl in this game of men.
Got a long term plan?
I don’t really think long term much but I guess eventually being bicoastal, wifed up and maybe acting. I’d love to be in a John Waters film before I die.
Do you have much free time? What do you do when you’re not working?
aNYthing said it best: “Never Not Working”
I have very little free time. But then again, my job has granted me a very free lifestyle so is it really a job? I have to ask myself sometimes because I love what I do sooooo much.
When I’m not working I listen to music and write. I also spend any free time with my family being an “angel” in Key Largo, Florida doing absolutely nothing.
Who are your favorite artists and entertainers of all time?
Madonna, The Plasmatics, Spankrock, Andrew WK, CatPower and Turbonegro
How would you describe your personal style?
Punk Rock New Rave
What’s your favorite accessory you own?
My walk-in closets. Yes, I own 2 of them!
What’s your favorite piece of clothing you own?
White Rabbit Fur
Where do you like to shop?
Thrift + vintage stores not in NYC, Sephora for beauty, JetBlue for miles
What are your favorite bars, lounges, clubs?
Sway (NYC), Love (NYC), The Pawn Shop (Miami), Beauty Bar (Austin), Ukie Club (Philly), Max Fish (NYC), MILK (SF) Studio B (BK), Opium Garden (Miami), F.U.N. (Berlin), Panorama Bar (Berlin), Fabric (London).
Name your top 3 fave restaurants in NY and what your favorite dish(es) is there.
Turkish Kitchen - The salads, Casik and the whipped caviar with bread (YUM!!!)
La Esquina - Fish Ceviche
Megu - Kobe Beef cooked on a hot rock and covered in Hennessey
(I hope this gets me a date)
What music have you been listening to lately?
My own music, Spektrum + Steed Lord
Whats your most recent discovery/exploration in New York?
VALLEY! Best manicures and Brasilian bikini waxes in town!
Do you plan on living in NY forever?
Always, NYC and a beach somewhere else.
What’s your favorite rolling paper. What’s your cocktail/drink of choice.
RIZLA Rolling Papers! I love Veuve champagne, Patron on the rocks, Café Patron shots, and Pink Vodka is good with soda and lime.
Who’s the hottest guy in New York?
I fancy Armand Van Helden a hell of a lot (we just did a song together!)
Who’s the hottest guy in Miami?
Jake Jefferson!!!! His beats are the best, he’s a sweetheart and a comedian too.
Name one New York woman that you would nominate to our Hail Mary! list.
Justine D.
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