Golden State Theatre presents the 19th Annual Monterey Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival featuring Ned LeDoux with guests Mike Beck, Paul Zarzyski, and New West on Saturday, December 2 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25-$45. For more information and to purchase tickets, please click here.

Ned LeDoux: In country music, a last name like LeDoux casts a big, storied and bittersweet shadow, but it’s one Ned LeDoux doesn’t mind standing in one bit. Beginning in 1998, he became the drummer in his dad’s band, Western Underground, and when his dad, Chris LeDoux, passed away in 2005, Ned continued to tour with the band to keep the musical spirit of his father alive. After a while he picked up the guitar and tried his hand at singing some of his dad’s songs.

For the last year, Ned has been steadily touring and opening for acts like Toby Keith, Chris Janson, Aaron Watson, and Randy Houser. On tour, you’re guaranteed to hear "This Cowboy’s Hat" the song most requested by his fans and a request Ned is honored to oblige. His personal favorite song to sing is one called "We Ain’t Got It All." It’s the first original song Ned co-wrote with his dad and seems to pick up right where Chris left off. And with his debut EP "Forever a Cowboy" available now, there is a new voice to carry on the LeDoux sound.

Mike Beck is an engaging acoustic solo artist who regularly performs in the United States and Europe. He is a regularly featured performer at The National Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering. Mike has seven albums under his belt with original songs that have been recognized as some of the finest compositions on Western Americana out there.

Paul Zarzyski, a Rodeo Poet, has spurred the words wild across the open range of the page for 45 years, 15 of which he competed as a bareback rider on the amateur, PRCA, and senior circuits. This coming January marks his 32nd consecutive go-round at The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, NV. He is also a veteran of 13 Monterey Festivals. The recipient of the 2005 Montana Governor’s Arts Award for Literature, Paul has authored 10 books and recorded 6 spoken-word CDs. Paul makes his home, “where the poetry roams,” west of Great Falls, Montana.

New West is all about NEW Western music. Performing songs that pay tribute to the men and women of the American West, the band features award winning songwriter Mike Fleming, renowned lead guitarist Raul Reynoso, and the incredibly talented Dave Jackson on bass. New West is a showcase of Mike's beautiful songs, the trio's sweet harmony singing, Raul's world-class guitar work, and David's show-stopping numbers.