The next weekend of the free Summer Concert Series, Music on the Green - brought to you by The Mariposa Co. Arts Council and its many fine sponsors – at The Art Park in historic, downtown  Mariposa CA, will feature: the unique & eclectic BARAKA MOON from San Francisco on Friday, June 17; and the powerful electric blues of MIKE HAMMAR & The NAILS on Saturday, June 18.

BARAKA MOON

After their exciting and much anticipated debut last year, we are pleased to welcome  BARAKA MOON back to the Art Park Stage. The original music of this San Francisco group is a unique and vibrant mix of Qawaali Sufi Trance Songs, Indian, Middle Eastern and African Drum, Harmonium, Guitar, Percussion and the Aboriginal Austrailian Digeridoo, featuring virtuoso musicians from 3 distinct cultures – USA, Pakistan, and the UK - creating a performance, the likes of which, has never been seen or heard in Mariposa before. This expressive and positive music transcends convention and boundries, inviting audience involvement in singing and dancing along in the unity of our common humanity. You can learn more and sample the music of this very eclectic group at: BarakaMoon.com or their Facebook page.

MIKE HAMMAR & The NAILS

The triumphant return of world class Blues recording artists, Mike Hammar and The Nails to the Art Park Stage is, every summer, one of the most anticipated . Native American Hammar - who grew up in Mariposa, and still maintains deep roots here - and his powerful electric blues band, The Nails, have become a staple of Music on the Green, where every year they draw a huge crowd of locals and visitors for what we’ve come to call a “Blues Pow-Wow.” Garnishing a reputation over the years as one of the most exciting, live blues bands performing in California – in 2009 and 2014, Mike and the band won the prestigious Monterey Bay Blues Festival’s Battle of the Bands – their recordings have had airplay on American Roots Music Radio (Norway, England, Germany, Belgium, Canada, and U.S. College radio circuit) and they are regularly featured on Sirius XM Radio’s B.B. King’s Bluesville station. Mike’s song, “This Ain’t Goodbye,” from their second album, “Recipe for the Blues,” was nominated for an Independant Music Award. The Nails still feature the glorious sound of the Hammond B3 organ played by renowned musician Allan “B3 Blues” Carroll, and the fiery guitar and soulful vocals of Hammar. More on this great blues band can be found at: MikeHammar.com, or their Facebook page.

Visit MariposaArtsCouncil.org for the complete 2016 season line-up & more (see schedule below).

All performances begin at 7 p.m. at the Mariposa County Art Park, located on Hwy. 140, between 4th and 5th Streets, in historic downtown Mariposa, CA. Free parking on 5th Street along the Creek Walkway to the Park, also providing handicapped access.

The shows are free to the public – tips for the performers will be solicited, encouraged, and appreciated.

The Mariposa Arts Council – including Music on the Green - is funded in part by Mariposa County, the California Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The MARIPOSA COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL, INC. is an incorporated not-for- profit organization, created to promote and support all forms of the cultural arts, for all ages, throughout Mariposa County.