By Stephanie Eisemann, news correspondent

The question isn’t what is Boston Calling but who is Boston Calling. This weekend, the three day concert extravaganza will return to City Plaza, and we’ve previewed the performers so you can get an idea of which show you should throw elbows for and which artists you should propose to via poster. Read up on the lineup below.

Friday, May 23

·         Jack Johnson

Thirty-eight year old Hawaiian native Jack Johnson will appear as part of his From Here to Now to Youtour. His live EP of the same name was released on Earth Day as a fundraiser; all proceeds from the collection will be donated to the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, a non-profit he created with his college sweetheart and wife Kim. The organization aims to help children learn about and appreciate the environment so they will grow up to protect it. If you like folk rock, professional surfers or the sitar, this performance is a must-see.

·         Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

This 10-member band released their debut album “Up From Below”in 2009 and has been touring ever since, playing festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits. This weekend they’ll add Boston Calling to their list of triumphs, after releasing their third, self-titled album last July. They promise “the soulfulness of The Supremes’ ‘Where Did Our Love Go’, the raw exuberant pop of The Beatles ‘Yellow Submarine’ and the psychedelic echoes of Jefferson Airplane’s ‘Surrealistic Pillow.’” Frontman Alex Ebert continued on their website, “these songs mean everything to me.  It’s the rawest, most liberated, most rambunctious stuff we’ve done.” High praise coming from the Golden Globe winner for Best Original Score after his work on J. C. Chandor’s “All is Lost.”

·         Cass McCombs

“Anti-genre” Cass McCombs has produced seven and a half albums in his ten years in the music industry. He and his band members, Dan Lead (guitar), Jon Shaw (bass) and Daniel Allaire (drums), with help from their creative team, work to collaborate on the songs that are meant to “illuminate human rawness and hypocrisy,” according to his online bio.His most recent album “Big Wheel and Others,” revealed in 2013, features guest artists including Mike Gordon from Phish. Cass McCombs has been touring Europe and Australia for the past several months before coming to the U.S. and appearing at Boston Calling.

Saturday, May 24

·         Death Cab for Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie has released a whopping collection of 12 CDs and EPs since their first album, “Something About Airplanes,” came out in March of 1999.  (Yes, 1999, I’m having an existential crisis about it too.) The band was originally a solo project for Ben Gibbard while he was the guitarist for Pinwheel, but grew to a full, unconventional, and highly successful indie band that was officially formed at Western Washington University. Their albums have been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards, included in multiple soundtracks and topped the Billboard 200 chart. In October of 2013 they announced that they were beginning work on an eighth studio album. Fun fact: The name Death Cab for Cutie is taken from the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band song featured in The Beatles movie “Magical Mystery Tour.”

·         The Decemberists

Described as an indie folk rock band, The Decemberists will play their only festival of the year at Boston Calling this Saturday. Straight from Portland, Oregon this five-member band has fostered an eclectic reputation for its historically oriented lyrics, reenactments and audience participation.  They released their sixth and most recent full-length album, “The King is Dead”, in 2011 employing instruments like the Hammond organ, accordion and harmonica to take a storytelling approach to music.  Additionally, “Parks and Recreation” fans may recognize them from their appearance in the season finale on April 24.  (Sure to be ‘lih-therally’ the best concert Chris Traeger’s ever seen in the history of his entire existence.)

·         The Head and the Heart

It’s a classic open-mic night Cinderella story. In Seattle’s Conor Bryne pub, aspiring musicians Josiah Rohnson, Jonathan Russell, Kenny Hensley, Charity Rose Thielen, Tyler Williams and the bartending Chris Zasche came together to form this Boston Calling band. Thank transfers, study abroad, graduate school or fate for bringing them all to the same bar at the same time, but the six musicians took a shot and followed their dreams. Johnson explained that this leap into the unknown is what inspired their name. “Your head is telling you to be stable and find a good job, [but] you known in your heart that this is what you’re supposed to do even if it’s crazy,” he said to American Songwriter magazine. A short and hectic five years later, the indie folk-rock group has released two albums, “The Head and the Heart” and “Let’s Be Still.” Their music has also gained recognition amongst the rest of the Hollywood community, with Pretty Little Liars actress Troian Bellisario starring in the music video for their song “Another Story.”

·         Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls

From across the pond comes Frank Turner, a folk/punk singer-songwriter who was previously the vocalist of the band Million Dead.  When the group broke up in 2005, he decided to focus on a more acoustic sound and combined with his backup band, “The Sleeping Souls.” He has released five solo albums, two compilation albums, one split album and five EPs, but most impressively he studied at Eton College with Prince William, so his performance should be fit for royalty.

·         Jenny Lewis

Jennifer Lewis was born to music. With her mother working as a professional singer and her father a member of the Harmonica Gang, it’s no surprise that Lewis has been involved in a number of musical projects including the indie rock band Rilo Kiley, the girlfriend-boyfriend duo Jenny & Johnny, and two solo “soul” albums that earned acclaim from the likes of “Entertainment Weekly” and “Rolling Stone.” You may find her face surprisingly familiar though, as Lewis has also had a significant acting career appearing in a plethora of shows including “Life with Lucy” as Lucille Ball’s granddaughter, “The New Twilight Zone,” “Baywatch,” “The Golden Girls,” “Growing Pains” and “Roseanne” and films such as “Troop Beverly Hills” and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

·         The Neighbourhood

Also known as THE NBHD this newly formed band released their first full length album, “I Love You,” in April 2013.  While their drummer announced in January that he was leaving the band to start a solo career, the rock group has not slowed down, finishing off the European leg of their tour just before playing Boston this weekend. Best known for their single “Sweater Weather,” The Neighbourhood earned the number one spot on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart last summer. The second single off their album, “Afraid,” was released in April 2013 and reached number four on the same list.

·         Warpaint

This indie and psychedelic rock band formed in 2004 and has since released two albums, “The Fool”in 2010 and “Warpaint” this January. A music video, featuring two songs from the self-titled collection, was aired in April featuring professional skateboarders Justin Eldridge, Kris Markovich and Patrick Melcher in action. Their song “Love is to Die” has been used in Calvin Klein advertising and promotion for the Warpaint documentary.

·         Walk off the Earth

This “unconventional, multi-talented five-piece musical phenomena” as described on their website, garnered huge internet fame in under two weeks asall five membersplayed one guitar to record a YouTube cover of “Somebody That I Used to Know.” Since 2006, the Canadian natives have been making low-budget videos of both covers and original songs independently, until they signed with Columbia Records in 2012 and released “R.E.V.O.” Walk off the Earth’s unique vibe often comes from their use of ukuleles, theremins and looping samples. See their creative interpretations and sound come to life in Saturday’s lineup.

·         Maximo Park

These alt rock Brits have been musically mashing for over a decade. Signed to Warp Records, they’ve released five albums since they formed in 2001, and their most recent, “Too Much Information,” just dropped in February of this year. “Our lyrics and our music will never be too-cool-for school – we are an emotional band even if it might be too much information for some,” said lead singer Paul Smith of the album. The band’s official website and Facebook have also just announced the release of guitarist Duncan Lloyd’s new collection “Transit/Pulse”on the U.S. label Crash Symbols.

·         Magic Man

A Beantown band, Magic Man returns to their hometown for the cornerstone music event of the city.  The electronic rock/pop performers currently have an EP entitled “You Are Here”available on SoundCloud and for purchase on iTunes. The five-member band also announced on Twitter that they will soon be touring with Scottish synthpop group PRIDES. If you can’t make it to Boston Calling, however, be sure to catch Magic Man at the second annual Better Than Backstage Kick-Off Party on Thursday night at the NAGA nightclub, 21+. Tickets can be purchased online at giltcity.com for $25 each.

Sunday, May 25

·         Modest Mouse

“I wish I could hit upon a pleasant track of thought, a track indirectly reflecting credit upon myself, for those are the pleasantest thoughts, and very frequent even in the minds of modest, mouse-coloured people, who believe genuinely that they dislike to hear their own praises,” Virginia Woolf once wrote, inspiring the name of this American indie/experimental rock band.  Formed in 1993 with the original three members, the band released their debut album “This is A Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About.”They have since been joined by Tom Peloso, Joe Plummer of The Black Heart Procession and Johnny Marr of the Smiths to work on their eighth and most recent album, “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank,” released in 2007.

·         Brand New

Brand new is an alternative rock band formed in New York in 2000. Originally from Long Island, members Jesse Lacey, Garrett Tierney and Brian Lane were all in the band The Rookie Lot in the late 1990s, but branched off, and later were joined by Vincent Accardi, guitarist, vocalist and lyricist. They released albums “Your Favorite Weapon,” “Deja Entendu”and “The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me” on different labels before forming their own label, Procrastinate! Music Traitors, in 2008 and releasing their fourth and most recent album “Daisy”in 2009. The band, often referred to as emo, has reported work on new music.

·         Bastille

Best known for their hit single “Pompeii,” Bastille is a London rock band thatformed in 2010.  Members Dan Smith, Chris Wood, William Farquarson and Kyle Simmons have seen great success, reflected most recently in their 2014 Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act, following their first full album, “Bad Blood,” which was released in March of 2013. Between busy days on tour, playing “Saturday Night Live” and releasing a free, two-part mixtape full of covers, Bastille is still finding time to work on what is sure to be a highly-anticipated sophomore CD. The band gets its name from Bastille Day, a holiday that falls on Dan Smith’s birthday, the sole writer of the group’s original music.

·         Tegan & Sara

Twins Tegan and Sara Quin began making music together at age 15 and independently released their first album “Under Feet Like Ours” four years later in 1999.  They’ve since released five more albums, releasedthree films on the “Get Along”DVD about their lives and music, earned their first Grammy nomination and been covered by The White Stripes. The sisters, both openly gay, are active in the LGBTcommunity and are working on their seventh album “Heartthrob.”

·         Phosphorescent

Phosphorescent is the stage-name of Matthew Houck. He previously recorded under the title Fillup Shack but was billed as Phosphorescent by the time he released his first full-length LP, “A Hundred Times or More,” in 2003. An indie artist who has mastered vocals, guitar, piano, bass, drums and ukulele, Houck hit gold with his third album “Aw Come Aw Wry” in 2005 and the following “Pride”in 2007. He has since released a tribute album to Willie Nelson and “Here’s to Taking It Easy”in 2010, but never one to forget his roots, Fillup Shack is credited with drum recordings on his first LP.

·         Built to Spill

With a combined century of experience in the music industry, Built to Spill has been playing together since 1992, releasing eight full-length indie rock albums. From 1992 to 1997 founder, guitarist and vocalist Doug Martsch planned to change bandmates every album until he made current members Scott Plouf and Brett Nelson permanent fixtures.That didn’t stop the composition from changing yet again however, when then-drummer Andy Capps was found dead in 2006. The band trekked on and released their latest album “There Is NO Enemy” in October of 2009. However it was announced last year that Scott Plouf and Brett Nelson would be departing and musicians Steve Gere and Jason Albertini would round out the latest lineup.

·         Kurt Vile and The Violators

Beginning on the banjo at age fourteenand writing songs with Superman cartoon lyrics, Kurt Vile was always driven to make music. Known also for his creation and involvement of the band The War on Drugs in 2005, Vile left the group shortly after their first album “Wagonwheel Blues”was released in 2008.  He has since released five studio albums with backing band The Violators, the most recent being “Wakin on a Pretty Daze” in 2013.  He also released an EP “It’s a Big World Out There (And I Am Scared)” shortly after.

·         The Districts

Described by Paul Lester of “The Guardian,” “The Districts will be your new favorite band if you like ragged U.S. rock, country-tinged Americana with elements of blues and folk.  If you like music made by young men who appear to have just stumbled out of bed.”The foursome self-released their first album “Telephone”in 2012 before signing to Fat Possum and releasing “The Districts: EP”in 2013.  If anything will give you the complete picture of their style it’s The Districts’ Facebook interests: “mad libs, camping, van rides, bro rubs, music…”

·         Tigerman WOAH!

Self-described as “growlin’ grind folk with TOO MUCH HEART,” Tigerman WOAH! Is a five-member band who’s been on the scene since 2011. Though they have roots in Atlanta,Ga. the group is based in Lynn, Mass. where they record at Kobi Studios. Tigerman WOAH! released their first album “Up South Vol. I”in June of 2012 and the second volume in 2013.  Songs from volume two are available for listening on the band’s website. As for their live-performance style, last year’s American Festival told audiences to “expect group singing, bare feet and live wire electricity.”

·         The Box Tiger

A newly announced act for Boston Calling, this young group is powered by four musicians from Toronto.  The Box Tiger was formed in 2009 and “manages to keep a DIY indie aura, while simultaneously creating pop sensible hooks that makes the music accessible to the masses,” according the band’s website. They previously recorded a five song self-titled EP, which they have available for download, and have since released their debut album “Set Fire”last August.

Photo courtesy Prestor, Creative Commons