Beth Patterson is a unique, multi-instrumental performer – primarily on the bazouki and the bass - who combines traditional Irish, Celtic and folk ballads with Cajun, world-beat, and progressive rock influences, interwoven with her own creative songwriting and sly wit. She defies all genres, although she is most often slotted as a folk musician or a singer-songwriter. Her performances are energetic, eclectic, and always engaging. In addition to solo gigs, Patterson also performs as one half of ZoüKeys (a prog/jazz/Celtic/roots mashup duo with her husband, acclaimed pianist Josh Paxton), several Irish bands (she was a founding member of the Poor Clares), and with Celtic fiddler superstar Seán Heely. She’s recorded on many albums, both with bands and as a solo act; her 2009 release, On Better Paths, received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
As a child, the Lafayette, Louisiana native started out on the violin, but soon mastered the classical oboe and the electric bass, which, as a teen, she wielded in both Cajun and punk bands. She also played the English horn in the Acadiana Symphony and the electric bass in her mom’s Cajun band, Renaissance 'Cadienne. The self-described “musical mongrel” then studied music in Ireland, and completed her undergraduate degree at Loyola University in New Orleans, where she now makes her home with husband and musical partner Paxton.
These days, Patterson primarily plays the eight- and ten-stringed Irish bouzoukis (adaptations of a traditional Greek instrument) while voicing her unique creativity through her musical stylings, a unique genre she calls it “SWAP” – Songwriter/World/Acoustic/Progressive. She performs across the country and around the world - she often jumps across the pond for gigs in Ireland. She can be heard on several film soundtracks, including The One Eyed King starring Armand Assante and William Baldwin and Extract, with Jason Bateman and Ben Affleck. She performs her raunchier material as Bad Beth and Beyond, material that leaves audiences howling and has been showcased by the Dr. Demento Show. In addition to her musical output, she is a prolific fiction writer, published in numerous anthologies and in free-standing novels.
