Grimes, ‘Oblivion’ from Somesuch & Co. on Vimeo.

Photo by Pete Troshak | flickr.com/photos/petryfrompa/sets | twitter.com/shak74

The annual Roots Picnic returns in 2013 with an ever-eclectic lineup of rock, pop, hip-hop, electronic music and more. According to an Instagram post from Roots drummer Questlove, the show will be one day this year – Saturday, June 1 – at the Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing. On the lineup will be rock guitarist Gary Clark Jr., buzzing pop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (of “Thrift Shop” fame), mysterious electronic artist Grimes, a reunion of Naughty by Nature, Philly hip-hop impressionist Lushlife and more. Tickets go on sale this Friday at noon via Ticketmaster; full lineup after the jump.

6th Annual Roots Picnic Lineup
The Roots
Gary Clark Jr.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Grimes
Naughty By Nature
AraabMUSIK
DJ Premier
Solange
Trinidad James
Gaslamp Killer
Hitboy
How to Dress Well
Joey Bada$$
Robert Glasper
Sonnymoon
Lushlife
Jennah Bell

The Afghan Whigs‘ much-anticipated reunion tour hits The Electric Factory tonight with opening act School of Seven Bells. Tickets to the all-ages show are available here for $45. Were you able to spot an XPN host in the video for “Come See About Me” that we posted earlier in the week? Check it out below.

XPN Welcomes back Canadian alternative musician Claire Boucher, a.k.a. Grimes to Union Transfer tonight. Her album, Visions, which was released in North America earlier this year in February, played at Kung Fu Necktie in March. Doors open at 8; further details about tonight’s show can be found here.  Below, watch the brand new video for “Genesis.”

“Who knew only two guys could make so much noise?” said one concert goer at the Japandroids show at Johnny Brenda’s this past Friday night. A two man band is extremely possible to get a crowd moving, however Japandroids – consisting of Canadian rock duo, Brian King and David Prowse – wasted no time in rocking the sold-out Johnny Brenda’s. Japandroids have two self-released EP’s, and two full length albums out. Last month they released Celebration Rock, a truly celebratory rock record.

The energy at the Fishtown venue was palpable even before anyone stepped onto the stage. On one of the hottest days of the summer and a sold-out performance, this was bound to be a sweaty show. At just around 9:20 PM, Brian King announced the opening rapper, Cadence Weapon, also from Canada, who tore up the stage and brought a spark of energy to the already hyped crowd. The crafty rapper also did two songs over other artist’s instrumentals; one included “88″, produced by Grimes, and another entitled “Loft Party” with instrumentals by Philadelphia’s own Meek Mill. Cadence Weapon’s latest release is Hope in Dirt City, and you can check out the song “Loft Party” from the show below.

Japandroids came on stage quickly after Cadence Weapon’s excellent performance. The duo is known for their blending of punk and garage rock and recalls Nineties’ rock bands like New Found Glory and Sugarcult with a modern twist. It’s a rarity to hear true rock ‘n roll in this day and age, with the simplicity of just vocals, a guitar, and a drum set. Brian King’s powerful voice gave a burst of energy, rejuvenating the crowd with wild ballads and heavy power chords; while David Prowse’s drumming created a juxtaposition of steadily out of control rhythms.

Opening with “Boys Are Leaving Town” from Post-Nothing, then dove into an extended version of  “Adrenaline Nightshift” followed by “The Nights of Wine and Roses” which King openly admitted to stealing the title from the band The Dream Syndicate; one of two bands that influenced him while writing the album over the course of a year.

Right before the the duo played my personal favorite, the somewhat slower “Continuous Thunder,” I sought some respite in the balcony. The song has a catchy hook and lyrics that leave an impression on you; “If I had all the answers/And you had the body you wanted/Would we love with legendary fire?” Next, they played “Fire’s Highway,” and the crowd was getting so into the show that they were pounding their fists in the air as well as on the stage, and wildly moshing about. This was one of the craziest and fun shows I’ve been to at Johnny Brenda’s.

In addition to being influenced by The Dream Syndicate while working on Celebration Rock, Japandroids were also influenced by Philadelphia natives, The War on Drugs, for whom Japandroids dedicated the last song of their set, “For the Love of Ivy.”  It was truly incredible to get such a crazy, intense show out of just vocals and two instruments; Japandroids just proved that rock ‘n roll is far from being dead.

Given the past few years Bowerbirds has had, it’s impressive that the band has managed to stay together, much less write and record a new album. The North Carolina-based folk trio’s core members, Philip Moore and Beth Tacular, ended their romantic relationship—and, soon after, Tacular broke her ribs and landed in the hospital for severe illness. But the experience eventually reunited the two, and inspired their new album, The Clearing, which was released earlier this month via Dead Oceans. The Clearing starts off on a somber note with “Tuck the Darkness In”, a song about the inevitability of death. But, as it goes on, things get more hopeful, ending with “Now We Carry On”, which focuses on accepting life as it comes and appreciating the little details. No one wants their favorite bands to suffer, but when it results in an album like The Clearing, it’s a relief to know something good came out of the pain. Bowerbirds performs with Dry The River at 8 p.m. at Johnny Brenda’s; tickets to the 21+ show are $12. —Nicole Soll