The Dark Stuff is an online music magazine and podcast that focuses primarily (though not exclusively) on independent artists that perform in Omaha, Nebraska and the Midwest.
Back again for my annual review of the MAHA Music Festival, held in downtown Omaha in Heartland of America Park on August 8, 2026. This year, the festival was headlined by UK phenoms, Wet Leg. The other artists featured were Bright Eyes, Killer Mike, Blondshell, Whitney, David Nance & Mowed Sound, and Carver Jones.
The one-day festival was a blast...except for all the rain and lightning. The event was stopped four times during the day due to lightning in the area. The park was cleared, and once the lightning went away, everyone could come back inside. There were tons of delays and changes in set times, but fortunately, everyone was able to play as the park's curfew was extended.
I was present for the entire festival and have photos and video of everyone involved.
This time on Rock of Aging, Dave and Erika are going deep into one of the defining bands of the 1980s hard rock scene: Ratt.
From the raw swagger of the 1983 Ratt EP through the massive breakthrough of Out of the Cellar, Ratt quickly went from the Sunset Strip to arenas, MTV, and multi-platinum success. But there’s a lot more to their original run than “Round and Round.”
We’re going album by album through Ratt’s classic era:
Ratt EP (1983)
Out of the Cellar (1984)
Invasion of Your Privacy (1985)
Dancing Undercover (1986)
Reach for the Sky (1988)
Detonator (1990)
We’ll talk about the songs, the videos, the albums that still hold up, the records that deserve another listen, and how Stephen Pearcy, Warren DeMartini, Robbin Crosby, Juan Croucier and Bobby Blotzer created a sound that was unmistakably Ratt.
From “You Think You’re Tough,” “Round and Round” and “Back for More” to “Lay It Down,” “Dance,” “Body Talk,” “Way Cool Jr.” and “Lovin’ You’s a Dirty Job,” we’re revisiting the hits, the deep cuts and the evolution of the band across one of the strongest album runs of the hair-metal era.
We’ll also get into the changing hard-rock landscape as the ’80s came to an end and why Detonator feels like the closing chapter of Ratt’s original glory years.
Six releases. Seven years. A whole lotta Ratt ’N’ Roll.
Where do you rank Ratt’s albums from 1983–1990? And what’s the one Ratt song that absolutely belongs on the ultimate playlist?
Before we begin with Ratt, we quickly recap seeing Riki Rachtman's One Foot in the Gutter tour in Lincoln, Nebraska. We got a little hang time with Riki after the show, and we ate some incredible chocolate cake.
If you're a fan of indie rock, this was one unforgettable night. In this episode of The Dark Stuff, I review an incredible co-headlining show featuring Band of Horses and Dinosaur Jr. From Band of Horses' soaring harmonies and emotionally charged set to Dinosaur Jr.'s legendary wall of fuzz, blistering guitar solos, and unmistakable volume, I'll break down what made this concert special.
I'll talk about the performances, standout songs, the atmosphere, and whether these veteran bands still deliver the live experience that has made them favorites for decades. If you were there, let me know what you thought—and if you missed it, here's what you missed.
Everyone talks about the debut album... but what about the follow-up?
On this episode of Rock of Aging, Dave and Erika dive into the best second albums from some of our favorite 80s hard rock and metal bands. The sophomore release can make or break a band's career. Sometimes it's where a band perfects its sound, delivers its biggest hits, or proves the debut was no fluke.
We'll discuss albums that took bands to the next level, sophomore slumps that weren't really slumps at all, and a few records that might even be better than the debut.
Alternative rock may have dominated the headlines in the 1990s, but another musical revolution was quietly taking shape. Long before Americana became a Grammy category or artists like Jason Isbell and Tyler Childers became household names, a generation of musicians was blending country, folk, rock, punk, and roots music into something entirely new.
In this episode of Against The 90s, Dave and Marq explore the rise of Alt-Country and Americana—the artists who rejected Nashville conventions while embracing the storytelling traditions of classic American music. From influential pioneers to forgotten classics, they discuss the records that helped define one of the decade's most enduring musical movements.
Whether you discovered these records when they were new or you're hearing them for the first time, this episode celebrates a movement that proved some of the best music of the 1990s didn't come from Seattle—or Nashville.
What are your favorite alt-country or Americana albums from the '90s? Let us know in the comments!
Just heard the sad news about Jennifer Finch of L7 being diagnosed with brain cancer. She is one of a kind, and is such an important person in my musical history. There is a GoFundMe to raise money for Jennifer's medical care. If you can spare a few bucks, please donate.
Check out this clip from our interview with Riki Rachtman! We asked whether he thought that Headbangers Ball changed the culture of the 80s or captured the culture of the 80s.
In this episode of Rock of Aging, Dave and Erika speak to Riki Rachtman, the legendary host from MTV's Headbangers Ball. Everyone watching this episode grew up watching Riki every Saturday night -- he introduced us to the bands, the videos, and the scenes throughout the world of heavy metal.
But Riki is much more than the host of a great TV show that we grew up watching. He has opened and ran the legendary Hollywood nightclub, The Cathouse, worked in radio, NASCAR, podcasting, and is currently on tour with a spoken word show called, "One Foot in the Gutter." The multimedia show finds Riki recounting stories from his lengthy career and exciting life.
Before online stores, limited-edition drops, and social media ads, there was one place to get the coolest band merchandise: the merch table at the concert.
In this episode of Rock of Aging, Dave and Erika take a nostalgic trip back to the golden age of 80s metal merch. From overpriced concert t-shirts and tour programs to posters, buttons, patches, bandanas, and everything in between, we remember what it was like to stand in line before the show and decide how much of our allowance (or paycheck) we were willing to sacrifice for a piece of rock and roll history.
We'll discuss:
The first concert shirts we ever bought
Why concert merch felt so special in the 1980s
The must-have items beyond t-shirts
Tour books, posters, patches, buttons, and other forgotten collectibles
The bands that had the best merch
Regrets over the merch we didn't buy
Vintage merch prices then vs. what collectors pay today
The legendary parking lot bootleg shirt sellers
Why wearing a concert shirt was a badge of honor
We'll also share some of our favorite merch memories and talk about the items we wish we had never thrown away.
Whether you spent your weekends at arena shows, haunted record stores looking for band posters, or still have a drawer full of faded concert tees, this episode is a celebration of one of the most fun parts of being an 80s metal fan.
Dave and Erika recently appeared on the Youth Gone Mild Podcast. We spoke with Gen X Joe about the state of 80s metal, Sebastian Bach joining Twisted Sister, which 80s bands still "bring it" live, and so much more. Thanks, Joe, for having us.
