Pitchfork

The Future of Music Coalition rules. The Washington, D.C.-based not-for-profit focuses on the intersection between music, technology, and intellectual property law, examining policy issues that affect the music community (see: payola, downloading, health insurance). They aren't a bunch of RIAA goons, either; in fact, they're the complete opposite, fighting the good fight for musicians and fans.

This Friday, March 24, at the Knitting Factory in New York City, Charles Bissell of the Wrens will host "Music for the Future of Music", a benefit concert for the FMC. Man Man, Okkervil River braintrust Will Sheff, comedian Eugene Mirman, and Matthew Caws and Ira Elliot of Nada Surf, will all perform.

The show will take place from 6-9 p.m., and at $15, it's still less than what you'd usually spend at happy hour. Plus, your money is going to a good cause. It's so easy to forget that musicians aren't superheroes, and that they need health care coverage too.

After Caws and Elliot rock the benefit unplugged-style, they'll reconvene with the rest of the Surf team overseas for the European leg of their latest enormous tour. They've been trucking since the beginning of February and will continue to do so until the very last day of April.

We're on the road, we're popular:

03-28 London, England - Shepards Bush Empire * %
03-29 Utrecht, Holland - Tivoli *
03-30 Eindhoven, Holland - Effenaar *
03-31 Luxembourg - Den Atilier *
04-01 Mulhouse, France - Noumatrouff *
04-03 Metz, France - Les Trinitaires *
04-04 Clermont, France - La Cooperative de Mai *
04-05 Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Docks *
04-06 Zurich, Switzerland - Abart *
04-07 Lyon, France - Le Transbordeur *
04-09 Cologne, Germany - Palladium #
04-10 Freiburg, Germany - Jazzhaus #
04-11 Nuremberg, Germany - Hirsch #
04-12 Darmstadt, Germany - Central Station #
04-13 Bremen, Germany - Schlachtof #
04-14 Bochum, Germany - Matrix #
04-15 Hamburg, Germany - Grunspan #
04-17 Alencon, France - La Luciole
04-18 Angers, France - Le Chabada
04-19 Mont de Marsan, France - Café Music
04-20 Santiago de Compostela, Spain - Sala Capitol
04-21 Aranda de Duero, Spain - Centro Civico
04-22 Alicante, Spain - Camelot
04-23 Barcelona, Spain - Sala Salamandra
04-25 Paris, France - Batacian $
04-26 Ghent, Belgium - Vooruit
04-28 Galway, Ireland - Roisin Dubh
04-29 Cork, Ireland - An Cruisin Lan
04-30 Dublin, Ireland - Whelands

* with Inara George
# with Goldrush
% with the Feeling
$ with Stars

Not to be outdone, the Wrens will play five shows between now and the end of April.

Quality, not quantity:

03-31 Munster, Germany - Gleiss 22
04-01 Cologne, Germany - Gebaude 9
04-08 Harrisonburg, VA - MACROCK *
04-28 Chicago, IL - Schubas #
04-29 Chicago, IL - Schubas %

# with Aloha, Fin fang Foom, Rah Bras, Haram, Your Highness Electric, Damezumari, Comrade, Widows, and Shapiro
# with Kiss Me Deadly
% with Tapes 'n Tapes

Sheff and Okkervil River have a few British dates of their own coming up in May. And they are:

05-03 Leeds, England - The Cockpit
05-04 Nottingham, England - The Social
05-05 Glasgow, Scotland - King Tut's
05-06 Belfast, Northern Ireland - Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival
05-07 Dublin, Ireland - Whelan's
05-08 London, England - Cargo

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