Index Festival kicked off in Deep Ellum last night with sets from some 30-plus bands on 9 stages. Killer Mike and EL-P's Run the Jewels project kicked things off in high spirits, and a solid mix of local and touring bands kept the streets of Deep Ellum lively until past 2 a.m.
Index brought plenty of people to the neighborhood -- some regulars and some who haven't made the trip in years. We talked to a few of them about what they love about Deep Ellum and what would have them coming back even more.
Name: Jobie Tobe (right) and Whitney Freeman (left) Age: 32 (Tobe), 27 (Freeman) Occupation: Construction Manager (Tobe) and Finance (Freeman)
Who are you most excited about at Index Festival? Tobe: "I'm here for the drinks." [laugs] Freeman: Warpaint
What's your favorite Deep Ellum business? Tobe: "I used to go to trees a lot." Freeman: "Angry Dog."
What do you wish Deep Ellum had that it doesn't? Tobe: "More small places for local bands. Like it used to be." Freeman: "A grocery store."
Name: Eric Pool Age: 19 Occupation: Student of Finance at UT Austin
Who are you most excited about at Index Festival? "Boxcar Rebellion and Real Estate. When I saw them on the lineup, I bought tickets."
What's your favorite Deep Ellum business? "Club Dada."
What do you wish Deep Ellum had that it doesn't? "There's nothing really missing that I can think of."
Name: Laura Booher (Left) and Ryan Clayton (Right) Age: 33 (Booher) and 35 (Clayton) Occupation: Booher works at Blackberry and Clayton works for a middle school
Who are you most excited about at Index Festival? Booher: Andrew Bird and Girl Talk Clayton: Lucero
What's your favorite Deep Ellum business? Booher: "I used to go to Gypsy Tea Room. Now I'm a sucker for Allgood Cafe." Clayton: "Gypsy Tea Room, yeah. Now it's Deep Ellum Brewing Company. It's helping the revitalization of the area."
What do you wish Deep Ellum had that it doesn't? Booher: "I think it would be fun if there were more funky boutiques, to add some daytime activity." Clayton: "That's what makes Bishop Arts cool. There's stuff to do during the day and at night."
Name: Stephanie Shih (Left) and Kathy Tian (Right) Age: Both 22 Occupation: Both recent UT graduates, Shih works for Texas Instruments and Tian works for Frito Lay. They moved to Uptown this spring.
Who are you most excited about at Index Festival? Shih: Air Review Tian: Andrew Bird
What's your favorite Deep Ellum business? Shih: "Club Dada is really the only place we've been to."
What made you move to Uptown? Shih: "It was convenient and there's plenty to do." Tian: "The culture, the nightlife. It's nice."
