What a sad day. Irving Penn, the godfather of Vogue Magazine, the meticulous and miraculous photographer passed away yesterday morning at the ripe old age of 92. Few artists are truly appreciated to the extent they deserve in their lifetimes, Irving Penn was one of the exceptions. And rightfully so. He was one of the small pantheon of American photographers whose images illustrate our history and our humanity. Although his work spanned different cultures and subcultures the connectivity of light and a seamless backdrop somehow unifies his work and seemingly unifies the subject matter. Whether it was his wife and famed fashion model Lisa Fonssagrives, hippies from San Francisco, famous writers like Truman Capote, the children of Cuzco, Peru, warriors of New Guinea, detritus off the street, or all of wonderful food photography he did for Vogue most recently, his work shows a delicate hand and a quiet sincerity that speaks for itself. By extracting the subject from his natural habitat, Penn somehow coaxed out his sitters’ truest essence. A chewed up paper cup can be poetic and Picasso can seem timid. In front of a master, anything seemed possible. His extensive work with platinum and palladium print processes only showed him to be what he always thought of himself as, a worksman and maker of images. As he so elegantly put it, “A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart, leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective.” In my opinion, and in the opinion of most, Irving Penn was very much an effective photographer. He will be mourned, missed, celebrated and venerated. Rest in peace, and thank you, Mr. Penn.

Irving Penn

1917-2009

Irving Penn, photographed by John Rawlings, 1945

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…All photos, except where noted, Irving Penn…

xoxo

-Pebbles van Peebles

Well well well, little bunnies… it may be getting a little nippy outside but we Cottontails are keeping it piping hot for you as always. First of all we have to tell you about the biggest birthday bonanza we’ve seen in a while. Tonight at le poisson rouge, Stretch Armstrong and Eli Escobar will be DJing the night away while Ricky Powell’s beautiful visuals dazzle you all in birthday celebration of Dante Ross, Bill Spector, Timmy McGurr, Sarah Deluca, Plain Pat, Anna Maire Diaz and Arthur Soleimanpour. Plus, it’s the start of Proper Thursdays at LPR. So get excited. Get into it and get involved. And Friday, Roxy and Jeremy Asgari are back with Grand Dynamite at the Tribeca Grand Hotel. Look out for resident Jasmine Solano and guest DJ Jamie Biden to make this an extra special edition. Then, Saturday Ms. Cottontail is off to Louisville, Kentucky to DJ down at Hotel Nightclub. We cottontails may not have a lot of Kentucky-related experience, but anything called “Hotel Nightclub” sounds just about perfect. Sunday Roxy hosts with Cazwell, at the New Mr. Black on Bowery at I Heart NY. Bananas. Monday it’s your favoritest, fruitest, fun fest at Sway… Fruity Coco Muffs. Kingdom and Telfar will be DJing the night away. But, they will be joined this time around by special guest Cazwell. And on Wednesday, Roxy will be back at the Gates spinning with HeartMe for blackFUN. Finally, Thursday the 15th the Cottontails are throwing down a HUGE event at Roxy’s very own Playhouse on N. 8th in Williamsburg. DJ Drama, Roxy and a very special Pepsi DJ (who will be announced on October 10th) will all be DJing at this incredible venue. Plus, Mad Decent’s Maluca will be performing LIVE!! Make sure to RSVP to rsvp@roxycottontail.com beforehand for the reduced cover. And stay up with us on www.roxycottontail.com to find out who the guest DJ will be!! So, come out come out and get your little bunnytails excited for CMJ and all the amazing live shows, showcases and parties we will have lined up for you!!! Till then, see you at the cluuuub.

xoxo

-The Cottontails

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-Thursday October 8th-
…and every Thursday after…

PROPER Thursdays

Featuring…
DJ Stretch Armstrong
+ Eli Escobar

A Special Birthday Celebration for…
Bill Spector
Timmy McGurr
Dante Ross
Sarah Deluca
Anna Marie Diaz
Plain Pat
+ Arthur Soleimanpour

Visual Slideshow by Ricky Powell + 13thWitness

(le) poisson rouge
158 Bleecker St

$10 at the door

http://www.lepoissonrouge.com

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-Friday October 9th-
Socialight Entertainment & Muzicology Present…

GRAND DYNAMITE

Featuring

Jasmine Solano
+Jamie Biden

Tribeca Grand Hotel
2 Avenue of the Americas
Btwn Walker and White

Doors by Glenmore

Doors Open @ 10PM

RSVP: www.socialightent.com

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-Saturday October 10th-

KENTUCKY!!!

Roxy Cottontail

With Special Guest
The Ladykillers

Power Hour 10-11PM
$3 Top Shelf Cocktails

Hotel Nightclub
410 S Fourth St
Louisville, Kentucky

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-Sunday October 11th-
I Heart NY
The Realest Party in NYC is Back!!!

With…
Cazwell
Tamikko
Zac Posse
Johnny
Patent Leather Daddy
Jonathan le Dee
+ Roxy Cottontail

The NEW Mr. Black
199 Bowery @ Spring
www.mrblacknyc.com

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- Monday October 12th -
Roxy Cottontail Presents…

FRUITY COCO MUFFS

Mona’s BDay Bashhh!!

Featuring Music By…

KINGDOM
+ TELFAR

plus, special guest DJ CAZWELL

Hosted By

Roxy Cottontail + Contessa

Photos by Tone

Door by Pebbles van Peebles

SWAY
305 Spring St.
Btwn Greenwich + Hudson

10PM-4AM

 FREE w/ RSVP: fruitycocomuffs@OXYCOTTONTAIL.COM
$5 w/out RSVP

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-Wednesday October 14th-

Black Fun

Featuring…
Roxy Cottontail
+ HeartMe!

Banter and Bottles!!!

Marc-Alan, Kieren, Greggor,
Rachel, Vikas, Zachary Michael,
David Delzio & Friends

The Gates
8th Avenue & 25th St

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- Thursday Oct 15th -
Pepsi Music Presents…

$15 w/ RSVP (Advanced) - $20 at Door

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xoxo

Persian jewelry designer Melody Ehsani has hit the fashion scene with a POW! Her custom made jewelry (and shoes) has caught the eyes of some very prominent fashionistas. Celebrities like Keri Hilson, Rihanna,Alicia Keys, and Erykah Badu have all been seen rocking her wares. She started out designing shoes but the opportunity to do a little more presented itself when her good friend Saul Williams asked for her help on his album cover;from that she delve into the world of jewelry designing. Despite being a shoe AND jewelry designer Miss Ehsani is also a bit of a philosopher, I leave you with these words from her……”I AM A CHILD OF THE HALF LIGHT. I AM CONNECTED TO THE WHOLE. I AM A CREATIVE FORCE, I RECALL THE ORIGINAL PROGRAM THAT IS MY DESIGN IN WHICH I LIVE MY LIFE BY. I AM A MAGNET. I KNOW NOTHING, BUT I HAVE THE ABILITY TO RECOGNIZE TRUTH- THATS HOW I SEE YOU, EVEN WITH MY EYES CLOSED.”

Oh Holland. The Northwestern Netherlands. Whatever you want to call it. Land of wooden shoes, windmills, tulips, and Dutch old master paintings. Also, now, the land of ill, insane and otherwise bananas remixes. That’s right, bunnies, Holland and it’s spinning spin masters are on the official come up. Actually, they have already come up, it’s just all of us in the US of A are hearing about it now. And we’re hearing their awesome work now. Producers like Don Diablo, Afrojack and Joost van Bellen are slaughtering the game. Don Diablo, besides being a devilishly good-looking fellow, has some pretty serious skills. Check out his remix of Heartache’s “What Does It Mean” on his slick website here: www.dondiablo.com. And Afrojack, what can I say about this aural charmer? Besides the fact that he remixed Roxy and Larry T’s amazing “Let’s Make Nasty” he has some super sweet mixes on his myspace. I particularly fancy his “Show Me Love 2009,” granted, Robin S’ 1993 hit is pretty much the soundtrack to my daily shower. But regardless of my prediliction, the remix is banging. And then there’s Joost. Joost van Bellen. He’s down with Cottontail family, DJs Are Not Rockstars, and he’s got the dark, dirty sounds that will make you go “BOOOOM.” But seriously though, check out the tunes on his page, in particular, CowGum “Druuggggssszzz.” It reminds me of the old school bbbbeats I used to listen to on blank CDs that made me fall in love with electronic music in the first place. Good stuff, rabbitos. Look out for the Hollandaise take over. Or should we say HollanDAZED? Catch me wearing clogs and braids in my hair at a club near you. It’s milkmaid chic. Get involved.

xoxo

-Pebbles van Peebles

Don Diablo

Afrojack

Joost van Bellen

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xoxo

It’s crazy how childhood memories come to you as you’re growing into adulthood. It feels like yesterday to me. I remember it vividly (yet I sometimes claim to have no memory, lol). But lately, as I have come to terms with my Peter Pan syndrome I feel like I tell this story pretty often.
Let me take you to a place called…. Brownies.
I still don’t really know what Brownies is. I think it’s pre-school for Girls Scouts? Not sure, don’t really care but I do love the cookies. But, not enough to dress like a cookie in a box of cookies.

So, my childhood neighbor Leah was a year younger and far less concerned about wardrobe. Leah lived 2 houses away, her parents and my parents thought it would be a swell idea to have us partake in Brownies. Me, nah, not so much. I think it was the first day orientation for Brownies and they give us a uniform. I refused to put this bad boy on. I was just disguisted with the idea of being a brown dot in a bunch of brown dots. Years later my mom would tell me the story of how I wouldn’t ever join Brownies and that she & my father knew there was a problem with Lil “Rebellious” Roxy. Apparently some years later they tried to get me to join swim team too. Now I was a great swimmer but I’d be damned if I was gonna wear a swimsuit that everyone else wore. Ish was tough on an individual individual. I never played sports either. I did…. finallyyyyy join a private dance school taking tap, jazz & ballet. This was the closest to conforming I was doing. All for the love of music.

This is all for now. Peep the hillarious photos below. Just a friendly PSA to remind you to be exactly who YOU are. Forever greatful to Ma & Pa Cottontail for supporting and believing in the kit and my creative quest of freedom. I’m lucky they forced me to take my first art class Sophmore year of HS or I would probably be a miserable human being. Wish I had more pics. Will have to holler at Mama Cottontail manana.
XO
Roxy