Spencer Kaufman is the Editor-in-Chief of Loudwire. He grew up playing stickball and basketball in Brooklyn, N.Y., before graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Communication Arts. He has been a professional music journalist for more than a decade in New York City. He digs punk, hardcore and industrial music, and fondly remembers the time Iggy Pop landed on him after a stage dive. His favorite movie is 'Taxi Driver' and he once played in a fictional college band called the Raging De Niros.
Spencer Kaufman
Guns N’ Roses Confirm 2014 Las Vegas Residency: ‘No Trickery! An Evening of Destruction’
After teasing fans with clues and billboards throughout the past few weeks, Guns N' Roses have confirmed that they will indeed perform a second residency at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in 2014. Axl Rose and company's latest Sin City invasion will take place over nine shows running in late May and early June.
The Exploited Drop Off Tour After Singer Suffers Heart Attack Onstage
Veteran punk band The Exploited had a major scare on Thursday night (Feb. 13) as their frontman Wattie Buchan suffered a heart attack onstage during their stop in Lisbon, Portugal, as part of the Resurrection Tour of Chaos trek with Hatebreed, Napalm Death and Primal Attack.
Eddie Vedder Joins Bruce Springsteen + Tom Morello Onstage for AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’
Talk about a legendary performance! Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder joined Bruce Springsteen and Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello onstage Saturday (Feb. 15) in Melbourne, Australia, for a performance of AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell.' That's a lot of iconic names in one sentence.
Megadeth Pull Out of Australian Shows as Dave Mustaine Requests Apology From Promoter
Following last week's controversy in which organizers of Australia's Soundwave festival stated that Megadeth had requested that Newsted not support them on a pair of Sidewave gigs, Megadeth have now pulled out of all of their Australia shows.
Facebook Grants Father’s Wish to Create ‘A Look Back’ Video for Late Rock Guitarist
A man in Missouri posted a video this week (Feb. 5) on YouTube asking Facebook to create 'A Look Back' video for his late rock guitarist son, who passed away in January 2012. After the grieving dad's video went viral, Facebook has agreed to grant him his wish.
Fan Dies After Stage Dive at Swiss Concert Headlined by Suicidal Tendencies
Tragic news to report out of Switzerland, as a fan has died from injuries sustained in a stage dive at a concert headlined by Suicidal Tendencies. The Jan. 22 show was part of the Persistence Tour that also featured Terror, Strife and Evergreen Terrace.
SnoCore Tour, Featuring The Pretty Reckless, Canceled as Taylor Momsen Battles Illness
Disappointing news for those fans hoping to check out the return of the SnoCore Tour this year, as it has been called off just a couple of days before it was set to kick off. Unfortunately, Taylor Momsen, lead singer of headliners the Pretty Reckless, is battling walking pneumonia and acute laryngitis, forcing the band to pull out of the tour. As a result, the entire trek has been canceled.
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Korn, Rob Zombie and Five Finger Death Punch Headline 2014 Fort Rock Festival
The impressive lineups for the big 2014 festivals continue to roll out, with the latest among them being the 2014 Monster Energy's Fort Rock festival at JetBlue Park in Ft. Myers, Fla. The headliners for the April 26 event are Korn, Rob Zombie and Five Finger Death Punch.
Open Letter to the Grammys: Give Metal and Hard Rock the Respect They Deserve
We recently published an open letter to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, asking them to consider some of the greatest hard rock + metal acts ever for induction. But now we point our dissatisfaction at the 2014 Grammy Awards, which took place Sunday night, Jan. 26, and featured one rock and metal snub after another.
Metallica To Begin Work on New Album “In a Couple of Weeks”
One of the most repeated questions in the metal world over the past couple years has been, "When is the new Metallica album coming out?" Now, at least we have an answer as to when the legendary act will commence work on the new disc.
Ministry Mastermind Al Jourgensen to Enter Rehab for Alcohol Abuse
Legendary Ministry mastermind Al Jourgensen, who helped pioneer the industrial rock movement, has announced that he is checking into a rehab facility on Feb. 3 to combat his alcohol abuse. The rock frontman, who has infamously battled addictions to drugs and alcohol throughout his career, announced the news via a series of colorful Facebook posts.
Joey Jordison: ‘I Did Not Quit Slipknot’
It was shocking news when Slipknot announced in December that they've parted ways with drummer Joey Jordison. Now, it appears as if Jordison himself was the person most shocked by the decision.