Giving thanks

Ah yes ... Thanksgiving.

The Real. Texas. Festival. has plenty to be thankful for. Let's get started.

* The RTF is thankful for visionary City of Mesquite administrators and elected leaders who see this festival not only for what it is, but for what it's becoming. In a day and age when many music festivals are shuttering due to soft ticket sales, the Real. Texas. Festival. steamrolls into its fifth year and is not looking back.

* The RTF is thankful for Time Warner Cable, Hooters, The U.S. Army, Coca Cola, Coors Light, Hampton Inn and Suites, Resistol Arena, Star Community Newspapers, 99.5 The Wolf, The Dallas Observer, Al Dia, Dallas Regional Medical Center, Lee Lewis Construction and all of the other sponsors who help make the festival possible.

* The RTF is thankful for Texas musicians like Stoney Larue, Eli Young Band, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Cory Morrow, Kevin Fowler, Jack Ingram, Jonathan Tyler and Northern Lights, the Old 97s, The Toadies, Bowling for Soup, Wade Bowen, Steve Holy, Billy Joe Shaver, Buggs Henderson, Robert Earl Keen, ZZ Top, Miranda Lambert, The Dixie Chicks, Kelly Clarkson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jason Boland, Mark McKinney, Reckless Kelly, Micky and the Motorcars, Mike McClure, Charlie Robison, Seth James, Doyle Bramhall II, Damage Plan, Lucinda Williams, Patrica Vonne, Valejo, Little Joe y La Familia and all of the other Texas music folks who make their music their way. They stay true to themselves, true to their state and true to their art.

* We are thankful for the fans of Texas music and the Red Dirt scene. They are the people that make the Real. Texas. Festival. tick.

* We are thankful for Gibson, Fender, Paul Reed Smith, Music Man, Guild, Martin, Breedlove, Taylor, Epiphone, Ibanez and all of the other companies who build guitars.

* We are thankful for Marshall, Fender, Peavy, Ampeg, Crate, Line 6, Mesa Boogie, Orange, Carvin and all of the people who power the sound of Texas music through amplification.

* We are thankful for Taylor Swift who continues to sell records when nobody else seems to be able to. We don't know how she's doing it, but she's doing it.

* We are thankful for Mumford and Sons who went head to head with Wal-mart and won.

* We are thankful for barbecue. Nobody does it better than Texas.

* We are thankful for the Texas Rangers -- the baseball team.

* We are thankful for Justin Bieber, who can make everyone seemingly forget about the Jonas Brothers. Now, if someone else can come along and make us all forget about Justin Bieber.

* We are thankful for Pink. She's not from Texas but she ought to be.

* We are thankful for 99.5 The Wolf. There's nobody better.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Check out the Real. Texas. Festival. April 29 and 30, 2011.