A native of
Lafayette, Louisiana, Patterson began her professional career in her teens as a classical
oboist and a
Cajun bass player. Patterson cites the "
progressive rock" band
Rush as a major musical influence. Her 2009 release,
On Better Paths, is the most daring, Patterson has since been playing regularly at other New Orleans venues, particularly the Kerry Irish Pub. She has also performed in twenty countries including Australia & New Zealand, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, and Ireland, much of Central America, as well as much of the United States. She is especially a favorite of
Celtic music fans in the
Washington, D.C. area. Starting in 2013 into 2018, "Bad Beth & Beyond", Beth Patterson's bawdy and profane
alter ego, performed in the French Quarter. "Bad Beth" used the Irish bouzouki, just as Patterson does, while singing risque originals and covers. "Bad Beth & Beyond" released an album that she later voluntarily discontinued, renouncing some material she found to be alienating. She continues to release singles for the FuMP (Funny Music Project) https://www.thefump.com. (See also
Bed Bath and Beyond.) Patterson, singing and bouzouki, and her husband
Josh Paxton, on piano, perform as the duo ZoüKeys, as of 2017. ==Instruments==