Girl-boy vocals, fuzzed-out violin and a sterling pop-sensibility. This is Tiny Lights. From Hoboken, New Jersey, they're a longtime favorite of critics (Rolling Stone, The New Yorker) and indie-hipsters (Shimmy Disc's Kramer and Psychic TV/Throbbing Gristle's Genesis P. Orridge have put out Tiny Lights records on their own personal labels). The band gained momentum with each subsequent release over their ten years of music making. Now there's the retrospective CD The Young Person's Guide to Tiny Lights on Bar/None, chronicling this decade of ingenuity.
Donna Croughn (vocals, violin) has the following to say about Tiny Light's ten year history: "A lot of stuff has happened... Andy, our drummer started out single and is now married with four children, three of which have been on the road with us. Stuart, our second cellist almost died from a massive asthma attack and was hospitalized for a week in Iowa while touring. Jane, our first cellist went on to play with all the stars: R.E.M., the Indigo Girls, the Lounge Lizards, and she's the chick on the 10,000 Maniacs unplugged. (It's funny, 10,000 Maniacs opened for us in 1984). Dave has a band called Instant Death who can sometimes be seen with Ween. John is on a fellowship and plays guitar with me on drums in my brother's band Broke."
After some exclusive touring this fall Tiny Lights plan to enter the studio and record a new album to be released in 1997 (The Smaller The Grape The Sweeter The Wine). James Mastro of The Health & Happiness Show is set to produce. He produced their very first single "Flowers Through the Air" in 1985.
Their lineup is:
Tiny Lights Discography