Hurricane Katrina survivor Beth Patterson has big plans for the bouzouki.

"I intend to play the bouzouki until I take over the world," Patterson said. "Bouzouki players will one day rule the universe.

Patterson plays this Greek instrument, which resembles the mandolin. She recently released an album with some songs that speak to the Katrina tragedy.

She will be performing solo for an intimate performance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Center For Well Being, 123 Mt. Nittany Rd.,Lemont.

"I've been described as a mix between Gwyneth Paltrow, Weird Al and the lead singer of Rush," Patterson said.

Growing up with a multitude of musical influences, Patterson said it's hard to categorize her music. She was raised around a lot of Cajun music, the kind that's often heard in films taking place near Louisiana's swamps.

She then went on to play bass in a metal band in high school, dipped into Irish and Celtic music and then molded her own style, she said.

There were no scholarships available for the bouzouki, Patterson said, so she received a scholarship for her oboe work at Loyala University in New Orleans.

Not traditionally the instrument of singer/songwriters, the bouzouki has a "jangly sound," almost like a 12-string guitar, Acoustic Brew Concert Series Main Booking Director Mel DeYoung said.

She describes her new album as SWAP music: songwriter/ world/ acoustic/ progressive. If she had to market herself, she'd call herself a singer/songwriter, but her music takes a lot unexpected "turns and bends." Patterson stopped caring about what other people wanted to hear and started to focus more on what she wanted to play, she said.

"If I wanted to market myself, I wouldn't write a Katrina song," Patterson said. "Everybody wrote a Katrina song."

One of the songs on her new album, "Come Hell or High Water" addresses post-Katrina stress and survivor's guilt. After the effects of Katrina, Patterson said people were still determined to have a good time.

"I know I speak for many other musicians when I say that we decided we were going to come back with a vengeance," she said.

Despite the sadness that goes along with the Katrina tracks, Patterson said that people can expect a variety at the show. There will be a mixture of aggressive songs, sweet songs, and some "extremely chic" ones, she said.

The Acoustic Brew series does not book any act without first viewing them live, and part of the variety of her performance is her personality onstage, DeYoung said.

"She's very quick-witted, very fun and lively onstage," he said. "It's a really varied show."

Patterson normally plays with a full band but said the solo show will lend itself to more bantering with audience and more storytelling.

She had one humorous recommendation for the show.

"Tell people to come early and wear old clothes," Patterson