Chelsea Toussaint, aka Sparxsea. Photo by Will Bradford

The final live show at Sun Tiki Studios is on Friday night.

Boston rock band Vapors of Morphine is performing with a local opener, indie-folk singer-songwriter Sparxsea.

Sparxsea is the musical moniker of Chelsea Toussaint, and her lush, debut full-length album “On the Sea” comes out Sept. 13.

Ian Smith opened Sun Tiki Studios in 2018 and said the Forest Avenue venue has presented about 600 shows, including local and nationally touring acts.

“I’m very grateful to the hundreds of bands and thousands of Tiki-goers for making our little venue such a special place,” said Smith in an email.

Smith, 59, said he has a grandson and aging parents that need his attention. He also cited the rising cost of liquor liability insurance as a factor in his decision to end live shows.

“Even our most successful shows were not profitable enough to pay all the expenses of maintaining a venue,” said Smith.

Smith said he’s proud to have played a part in Portland’s music scene. “I look forward to watching it grow and thrive with the valiant efforts of the many other beautiful venues like Apohadion, Space, Blue, Geno’s, Mayo Street, The Hill Arts, Empire, Portland House of Music, One Longfellow Square, Bayside Bowl, Oxbow Brewing and Flask.”

Even without presenting live shows, Sun Tiki Studios will still be helpful to local acts.

“We will continue our mission of providing affordable space for rehearsal, recording, video shoots and tour prep indefinitely, and our little stage will remain in case I ever decide to have a one-off show,” said Smith.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Find them at suntikistudios.com.

BEDFORD ROCKS

WMPG, the community radio station of the University of Southern Maine, presents the McGoldROCKS Music Festival on Saturday.

Featured performers are Plague Dad (lo-fi grunge rock), Vices Inc. (alternative rock), Euphemia (rock) and Bondeko  (international). Rapper Spose is the headliner.

Ryan Peters AKA Spose. Photo by Joshua Hand

The festival runs from 2:30-8:30 p.m. on the Bean Green at the McGoldrick Student Success Center at 35 Bedford St. in Portland.

Tickets are free and pre-registration is required by 7 p.m. Friday. Save your spot at wmpg.org.

Along with the music, McGoldROCKS will feature a bar, and the Sodexo, Maine-ly Meatballs and Vy Banh Mi food trucks will be on site.

CIDER AND SONGS

Here’s a chance to hear to spend 12 hours hearing a ton of live, local music at Norumbega Cidery in New Gloucester.

Big Falls Music & Cider Fest runs from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. Tix are $40, $70 for two, $20 for designated drivers, free for under 21 under 21. Get them at norumbegacidery.com/big-falls-fest.

The cidery is situated on 17 acres of farmland, and the performances happen under a huge tent. There will be picnic tables set up, and attendees can bring chairs and blankets.

The lineup is the Hayley Jane Band, King Kyote, Love By Numb3rs, Silver Hells, Becca Biggs and A Band Beyond Description. You can expect to hear a range of original rock, singer-songwriter, Americana, folk and funk music. Fans of the Grateful Dead will love the covers from A Band Beyond Description.

Big Falls Music & Cider Fest, now in its third year, is a co-production of Norumbega Cidery and events presenter Feel Good Portland.

AN OVERNIGHT LOW’S NEW SINGLE

Cover of the single for “Between Is My Keep,” the latest single from An Overnight Low. Artwork by Kay Beck

Portland-based pop-rock band An Overnight Low released its latest single “Between Is My Keep” on Friday.

The song is a B-side (non-album) track from the “Connolly, Part 2” recording sessions in 2021.

“Between Is My Keep” works with a late ’80s, early ’90s college radio vibe, in particular the jangly guitar and vocal harmonies.

The song stays the course with An Overnight Low’s intelligently written pop. Sam Anderson’s vocals are crisp, and Ted Warner’s guitar licks hit the spot.

Lyricist and bassist Chad Walls said the song was born out of a long train ride he took from Belfast to Dublin, Ireland, in 2009. Cell service was spotty at times, which provided an unexpected reprieve from constant connection. “The protagonist realizes that those he often reached out to are the ones he most needs a reprieve from,” said Walls in an email. “The place he seeks is in that space between destinations, where the risk of slipping back into familiar routines is momentarily suspended.”

You can hear “Between Is My Keep” on streaming platforms.

MARYLAND MEETS MAINE

Singer-songwriter Eli Lev. Photo by Taylor Rigg

Eli Lev is a singer-songwriter out of Silver Spring, Maryland, and you have three chances to see him in Maine this week.

Lev will be performing at The Thirsty Pig in Portland on Thursday at 7 p.m. (no cover), The Last Church on The Left (also in Portland, $15-$20 suggested donation) at 5 p.m. Friday, and The Crystal Listening Room at Flourish in Biddeford, $15 cash at the door) at 7 p.m. Saturday.

His latest EP, released on June 26, is called “Present Journey,” and he sings the track “Love in the Middle Ages” with a breezy optimism.

It’s a trip to Dunkin in the morning
It’s knowing exactly what she’s gonna say
It’s getting cozy on the couch
After a long hard day

The Michael Franti level of hopefulness continues with the road-trip-worthy “We Need a Bigger Bus,”  the playful “That Universal Song” and the foot-stomping, country-tinged “The Honky Tonk Truth.”

Listening to Lev’s music is an instant mood lifter and audible salve. One can only imagine his live shows will do all that and more.