TINY LIGHTS

Tiny Lights weren't a New Brunswick-area band by any stretch. They hailed from Hoboken, which had a pretty fair scene of its own then and now. But unlike the majority of the Hoboken set (Bongos, Yo La Tengo, Individuals, etc.), Tiny Lights made the trip south to New Brunswick regularly, and were thus appointed honorary status by their enthusiastic Central Jersey fan base. The core lineup of their heyday was John Hamilton, Donna Croughn (now Hamilton), Dave Dreiwitz (later of Ween) , Jane Scarpantoni (later a session cellist for too many bands to list here), and John Mastro. Good musicians all, and when they came to town, one might think this was what New Brunswick needed to become a scene on par with, say, Hoboken (though the Lights' 80s recordings weren't much better at capturing their dynamic sound than their New Brunswick peer group). Narrowly classified as psychedelic by some, Tiny Lights were as likely to cover or conjure up the spirit of the Beatles, Dylan, Parliament, the Jackson 5, the Velvet Underground (3rd album, anyway), and many others. And, I have to add, without a trace of irony or cynicism. If that sounds like a Phish show, well, these days their legacy is on par with your modern day jam band; accordingly, dozens of their shows are available for download here.

The cover of Tiny Lights' first LP is pictured here. Its sparse minimalism contrasts sharply with the sprawl contained within.

[CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE]