On Sunday, June 9, the New Orleans Botanical Garden and the Backbeat Foundation hosts their monthly Garden Party, which will feature live performances from local blues-rockers Eric Lindell and Colin Lake on the Robert B. Haspel Garden Stage. This Garden Party will be the last of 2013, so if you’ve missed the others, this is your last chance to enjoy free live music in one of the city’s most picturesque settings. While admission is free, attendees are encouraged to make a $10 donation to help support the efforts of the Botanical Garden and the Backbeat Foundation, which are both non-profit organizations. And of course, like any good New Orleans party, the Garden Party will have food and drinks (including beer, wine, and mixed drinks) available for purchase.

Eric Lindell

Eric Lindell, a native Californian who relocated to New Orleans in 1999, headlines this month’s party. A gifted singer with a rich, rawly expressive voice, Lindell leads a band that deftly fuses funk, blues, and rock in a way that is distinctly New Orleans.

The party will also feature a performance from Colin Lake, a relative newcomer to the New Orleans music scene who’s made quite an impression since his arrival to the city in 2009. Lake’s voice, as strong as it is confident, is his defining feature as a performer, but his guitar is also remarkable. Drawing from the deep well of blues guitar history, Lake has clearly studied his share of both Lightnin’ Hopkins and Derek Trucks. This wealth of influences, both from the old school and the new, make Lake an exciting performer to watch.

Colin Lake

OffBeat encourages those in attendance to donate to the Botanical Garden and the Backbeat Foundation, which was, according to the foundation’s website, “established in September of 2005 in New Orleans to address the critical needs facing the local artist community in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.”

The Sunday Garden Party series is also supported in part by the Robert & Shirley Haspel Fund, the Arts Council of New Orleans, Fox 8 WVUE , WWOZ FM, NOLA Brewing, Whole Foods and the City of New Orleans.

The party, which is rain or shine and has limited seating, will begin at 4:00 p.m. inside the Botanical Garden in the heart of New Orleans City Park. Music begins at 5:00 p.m.