Cover band Guys Without Ties rocks old and new tunes.

July 15, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

By SARAH LEHR

youngstown

Guys Without Ties, a local cover band, has played concerts at an array of venues ranging from Youngstown State University tailgate parties to a funeral to a nudist camp.

Dale Janus, the band’s bass player and a founding member, said the funeral was “just like another typical family party, except the guest of honor wasn’t there.” The nudist camp is an annual gig in Darlington, Pa. — the band remains clothed, though the audience is nude, Bob Matasay, the band’s drummer, said.

One of Matasy’s favorite Guys Without Ties concerts took place during Mass at St. Patrick Church in Youngstown. “The acoustics were unbelievably great,” he said.

The band’s members live across the Mahoning Valley and are a staple at community events. They will play a free concert in Boardman Park from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday as part of Boardman’s Music in the Park concert series.

Guys Without Ties began in 1992 when a group of golf buddies decided to ditch golf and start a band. They settled on the name “Guys Without Ties,” after Janus’ daughter Annie, who was then 12, saw a music video for the new wave rock band “Men Without Hats.” D.J. Collela — a band director at Girard High School, who plays trombone and sings for Guys Without Ties — said the band likes to have fun with its name. One time, he said, an audience member brought a bag of ties, which they used to decorate the stage.

Guys Without Ties, however, is no longer composed exclusively of men. When Lea Nesbitt joined in 2008 as lead singer, she became the band’s first and only female member. “If you have a guy and a girl singing, you can get that much more difference in sound,” Janus said.

The band’s members range in age from their 20s to their 60s. Because of this, they like to mix old and new music. The band plays Big Band swing tunes and classic rock, along with current Top 40 hits.

There are eight members. The band’s ample horn section — two saxophones, a trumpet and a trombone — distinguishes its sound.