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Cleveland is turning into Music City North, and one of the groups leading the way a newcomers the Chrome Plated Cowboys. The band is using its rock roots to change the face of Northeast Ohio country.

Lead guitarist Bob “Herr Direktor'' Schneider is the soul of thegroup, with his plaintive tenor, and emotional axe licks. He can also throw in the occasional harp solo, adding a new dimension as well. Bassist Dave Tudor and drummer Chuck “Dallas'' Yarborough round out the group, with help from veteran local guitarist Pete Simon. Dallas and Herr Direktor – so named because of his job of musical director and his somewhat tyrannical insistence on silly things like people being in tune – founded the Cowboys. They're both veterans of the Cleveland music scene, having played together in Classic Rock bands. Schneider in particular has been gigging around town since he was a high school sophomore. His youngest daughter just graduated from college, so that may give you a clue as to why these Cowboys refer to themselves as “Chrome Plated.'' Yarborough is a veteran reporter and country music critic for The Plain Dealer who attended college a half-mile from the famous Gilley's nightclub in Texas. Tudor is a long-time veteran of the Cleveland music scene, whose musical gifts include a proclivity for jazz and fusion as well as straight-ahead rock and, of course, country.

Attending a Cowboys show comes with it a couple of guarantees. First and foremost is a good time. The music is the music you know, with a bit of an edge. With music from Dwight, Toby, Kenny, Strait, Garth, Brooks & Dunn, Tim, Gary and all the rest, plus a few of our own, you'll have lots of chances to dance, be it line-dancing, two-stepping or belt-buckle polishing. And when George starts on those ballads, you could end up in love all over again.