Some bands go into a show without an opening act. Others take the stage without all their musicians or without all their instruments. Tiny Lights of Hoboken, N.J., enter their show without a set list.

“We leave everything open-ended,” guitarist/vocalist John Hamilton explained. “We go into a show like we’re entering a conversation. We’ll pick a song we think will grab their attention and see how it goes and kind of work from there. I think we reach people better with our music that way. We don’t define things.”

Among the things Tiny Lights fail to define is its musical style. According to Hamilton, one reviewer described them as “Sly and The Family Partridge.” “Stylistically, we cover so much material,” he said.

“We just write songs and they seem to cover so many influences. Tiny Lights songs are emotional wholes. I guess we do get a lot from the 1968-75 range — you know, the music we were blown away by when we were 10.”

Formed nearly 12 years ago, Tiny Lights has recorded six albums and two 7-inch releases. Its latest, The Young Person’s Guide to Tiny Lights, is a retrospective CD released by Hoboken’s indie label, Bar None. The Guide chronicles the past decade of the band.

“We’re the same people we were 12 years ago,” Hamilton said. “But to describe the change in our music in words is very difficult. You hear it, but you can’t say what’s going on and that’s the way it should be in my opinion.”

Tiny Lights has faced a number of changes over the years. Drummer Andy Demos, who was single when Tiny Lights formed, now has a wife and four children. Stuart Hake, the band’s current cellist, almost died from a massive asthma attack and was hospitalized for a week.

Most impressive of Tiny Lights’ history has been the development of its original cellist Jane Scarpantoni, who has gone on to play with R.E.M., the Indigo Girls and the Lounge Lizards. According to vocalist/electric violinist Donna Croughn, Scarpantoni is “the chick on the 10,000 Maniacs Unplugged” [a band that once opened for Tiny Lights in 1984].

“It’s been worth it,” Hamilton said. “We’ve done so much touring, we’re like a family. Three more people come to each show, so we figure by 2012, we should be famous. Actually, we’re not into the fame thing.

“We’ve seen so many bands that are good friends of ours get dropped after their first record and owe some record company a million bucks. Rather than break up and end up hating each other, we’ve decided to take this route. Bar None is perfect for us, and they’re only like eight blocks from my house, so I can just hop on over there whenever.”

It’s no wonder Tiny Lights is in and out of the studio so much. According to Hamilton, he and Croughn write songs in 15 or 20 minutes. “If you’re spending more than that on it, it’s just not going to pull together. I think writing a song, in principle, should be a very simple process.

“Writing is never a challenge really. Donna and I write together or separately. We continue to work on songs every time we play them — it’s just the process we go through.”

James Mastro of The Health and Happiness Show is set to produce Tiny Light’s 1996 release. Mastro, a high school friend of Croughn’s, produced the band’s first single, “Flowers Through the Air.”

“The new album is leading more towards R&B, but who knows how it will turn out?” Hamilton said. “It’s kind of fun, but it’s hard. Sort of like the Beatles’ white album, we’re striving for that unifying sound.”

Tiny Lights brings its sterling pop-sensibility to the Maintenance Shop this evening. Call the M-Shop at 294-2758 for more information.