Through July and August, SPACE Gallery and Portland Downtown District put their heads together to come up with the fun-in-the-sun afternoon concerts of The Weekday Music Series. Aside from one show being canceled due to weather, they all went off without a problem and pleased the audience – whether they were fans, passersby, or workers on their lunch break in the park.

The final show in this series was at Congress Square (Congress and High Street). The Toughcats were an appropriate choice, as their punk-influenced americana is great for drawing in a crowd, but provides a nice surprise once they’ve got your attention. With a beast of a drummer, they plowed through their set and even included a crowd pleasing cover of the Ramones’ “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker.”

See also: Chriss Sutherland and Paper Moon Over A Cardboard Sea photos from the Weekday Music Series.

This was the second week of the SPACE co-sponsored (along with Portland Downtown District) Weekday Music Series in Post Office Park. The rain held out long enough for about an hour long set of songs from Fire On Fire’s Chriss Sutherland, playing solo on an acoustic guitar to a crowd of fans and passersby on the summer afternoon.

The free concert series continues next week, Fridays at 1pm in Post Office Park (Middle Street between Market and Exchange, Portland, ME) and then on August 1 they move to Congress Square (Congress and High Streets.) The next few weeks are looking pretty great for free live music!

July 25 — Over a Cardboard Sea
August 1 – Brenda
August 8 — Phantom Buffalo (Their CD release show is at SPACE TONIGHT!)
August 15 — The Toughcats

ps. Look for the table at these concerts where you can buy your own awesome SPACE shirt.