Shag. It’s one of those words that has taken on several meanings. There is the dance, the movie and a song by Alabama that seem to take on definitions of their own.

Now, an Iowa State a capella group, The Shaggy Boys, has added their own twist.

According to the Shaggy Boys website, shag means 1. to sing fabulous a cappella music, 2. to be of a hairy type, 3. to be used as a substitute for any other noun, verb or adjective.

And definition two helps define how the group got its name. Although each seems to differentiate himself by how frequently he shaves, it had been decided that baritone Brad Seidenfeld is the shaggiest. He never shaves.

What began as a joke ended in a name.

“It makes me feel like I have two identities in the group,” Seidenfeld said. “One as a member and one as a mascot.”

But the Shaggy Boys true passions go beyond redefining the English language.

What the group — baritone Matt Anthoney (Bean Pole), tenor one Luke Miller (Crack Smokin’ Midget), low base Jason Price (Greenich Meantime Boy), tenor two Devin Sires (Shagg Train), Seidenfeld (Lucous Stankowitz) and tenor one David Derr (Fat Daddy Shaggs) — does best is demonstrate the variations of the human voice through a difficult type of music, a capella.

“[A capella] is difficult because there are no instruments,” Price said. “It makes [performing] more exciting in a way because the voices are imitating the music.”

The groups stressed that because there are no instruments, each part becomes increasingly important and there is no room for error.

“It’s a 180 from a huge concert,” tenor one Dave Derr said. “You have to really know your part. It’s a difficult art form. Not a lot of people get into it because it is rare and not quite popular in the mainstream.”

The Shaggy Boys formed last year when Anthoney, Miller, Sires and Price decided to try something different. It was not until this year that Seidenfeld was asked to join the group, followed by his roommate Derr.

“We all sing through the ISU singers and know each other through the Music Department,” Derr said. We figured we could make it work.

With all six members, The Shaggy Boys has begun to take performing more seriously, Price said.

This year, the group has performed for the Order of the Knoll banquet, the Iowa Games opening ceremonies, the Festival of Trees and several private engagements.

In between performances, the Shaggy Boys have also begun to work on a recording.

“So far we have recorded two songs in a relatively good fashion,” Derr said. “We are shooting to have it done next semester.

“We would love to sell it,” he continued. “There is a compilation album that is put out by COCA A Capella. They put tracks on CDs from different a capella groups.”

But the Shaggy Boys are about to take advantage of its biggest opportunity.

This summer the group heard about a competition sponsored by WHO-1040AM to find an a capella group to open for The Nylons.

“We had thought about it for awhile and finally sent in an application form,” Price said. “They [WHO] had an on-air drawing to pick five groups and each group had the chance to perform live on the Van and Bonnie show.”

As one of the five groups drawn, The Shaggy Boys performed “I Can See Clearly Now” and “Lean On Me” on the morning of Nov. 18.

“I was excited about it and had a good time,” Seidenfeld said. “The DJs were laughing and smiling while we sang. What was nice is that we got immediate feedback. They thought we had unique vocals.”

And now, with opportunity in hand, the Shaggy Boys are ready to take full advantage of it.

“We’re really excited,” Price said. “It’s a break for us. The Nylons are pioneer in a capella.”

The Shaggy Boys, will put the shag on before the Nylons tonight at 7 p.m. at the Stephens Auditorium Celebrity Cafe.

Tickets for the Shaggy Boys and The Nylons are $6, $9 and $11 for ISU students and $12, $18 and $22 general admission and are still available through the Iowa State Center Ticket Office and all TicketMaster locations.