The popularity of Americana continues to grow and in its third year on the air at KNBA, the Arctic Cactus Hour continues to broadcast the best of what’s new to listeners in Alaska and on the worldwide web.   The longer we are on the air, the more we are discovered by the many artists releasing discs themselves or on small local labels.  Our job, and we love it, is to listen to those discs and discover the best songs.   From the response we continue to receive from listeners, our ears are pretty well tuned.  As we enter a new year, we look forward to bringing you even more great programming in 2001.

If you are new to this flavor of music or haven’t added to your disc library in a while, you can’t go wrong buying any of the discs below.  If you can’t find what you want at your local music store, check out my favorite on-line source, Miles Of Music at www.milesofmusic.com.   Be sure and tell them the Arctic Cactus Hour sent you.

Based on airplay, here are the top Arctic Cactus Hour discs of 2000….all 45 of them.

Top 10 Arctic Cactus Hour Discs for 2000

• #1 Robbie Fulks – The Very Best Of Robbie Fulks (Bloodshot)
• #2 The Brooklyn Cowboys – Doin’ Time On Planet Earth (Leap)
• #3 Jimmie Dale Gilmore – One Endless Night (Rounder)
• #4 Blue Rodeo – The Days In Between (Warner Canada)
• #5 Wylie & The Wild West – Ridin’ The Hi-Line (Rounder)
• #6 Various – Down To The Promised Land/Five Years Of Bloodshot Records (Bloodshot)
• #7 Randy Weeks – Madeline (Hightone)
• #8 Li’l Mo & The Monicats – Hearts In My Dream (Passin’ Fancy)
• #9 Big In Iowa – Bangin’ ‘n’ Knockin’ (self-released)
• #10 J-200 – The Dark (Loose Booty)

The Next 11

• Hank Williams III – Risin’ Outlaw (Curb)
• The Derailers – Full Western Dress (Watermelon)
• Jack Ingram – Hey You (Lucky Dog)
• Anna Fermin’s Trigger Gospel – Things To Come (Sighlow)
• Robin & Linda Williams – In The Company Of Strangers (Sugar Hill)
• Phil Lee – Mighty King Of Love (Shanachie)
• Todd Snider – Happy To Be Here (Oh Boy)
• Kevin Deal – Honky Tonks –N- Churches (Blind Nello)
• Pat Green – Carry On (Greenhorse)
• Joe Ely – Live At Antones (Rounder)
• Steve Earle – Transcendental Blues (E-Squared)

The Next 13

• Last Train Home – True North (Adult Swim)
• Solid Air – Tailgates & Substitutes (Globe)
• Steve Forbert – Evergreen Boy (Koch)
• Bryan Cohen & The A.M. Disasters – Gone Awry (Weekend Furlough)
• Sixty Acres – Good Ethel (Dren)
• Belle Starr – Nobody You’d Know (Hayden’s Ferry)
• Western Electric – Western Electric (Gadfly)
• Neko Case & Her Boyfriends – Furnace Room Lullaby (Bloodshot)
• Tish Hinojosa –Sign Of Truth (Rounder)
• Peter Bruntnell – Normal For Bridgewater (Slow River-Ryko)
• Leftover Salmon – The Nashville Sessions (Hollywood)
• Joni Harms – Cowgirl Dreams (Warner Western)
• Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers – Honky Tonk Union (Emma Java)

The Last 11

• Guy Clark – Cold Dog Soup (Sugar Hill)
• David Mallett – Ambition (Flying Fish)
• The Star Room Boys – Why Do Lonely Men And Women Want To Break Each Other’s Hearts (Checkered Past)
• The Hollisters – Sweet Inspiration (Hightone)
• Bob Cheevers – The Stories I Write (Hayden’s Ferry)
• Kelly Hogan & The Pine Valley Cosmonauts – Beneath The Country Underdog (Bloodshot)
• Brent Mitchel – Fallen Angel Palace (Whitmore Mitchell)
• Terri Hendrix – Wilory Farm (Tycoon Cowgirl)
• Edge City – Mystery Ride (self-released)
• Max Stalling – Wide Afternoon (Blind Nello)
• Teddy Morgan & The Pistolas – Lost Love And Highways (Hightone)

The big label winners are Bloodshot and Rounder (each with four) and Hightone with three.  Great job on releasing great music!