Kevin Bronson on July 5th, 2011

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Like his Rilo Kiley bandmates, bassist Pierre de Reeder has stayed busy since the L.A. indie-rockers last released an album in 2007. To inventory: Jenny Lewis has released a solo album, and then last year’s “I’m Having Fun Now” with Jenny & Johnny; Blake Sennett emerged this year with new Elected album, “Bury Me in My Rings;” and Jason Boesel unveiled his solo record “Hustler’s Son” in 2010.

De Reeder’s solo album “The Way That It Was” came out in 2008, and since he built and operated a recording studio that has hosted the likes of M. Ward, She & Him, Julian Casablancas and Big Harp. And now he’s revived Little Record Company, an indie imprint that already this year has released four albums – Nik Freitas’ “Saturday Night Underwater,” Mike Bloom’s “King of Circles,” Heidecker & Wood’s “Starting From Nowhere” and Miracle Parade’s “Hark! … And Other Lost Transmissions.”

As small labels tend to be, it’s a labor of love. We caught up with de Reeder as Little Record Company dives into a month of showcases – the label will do a Tuesday night residency this month at the Satellite, with each of the bands with new albums out getting to headline one night:

How did you hatch the idea to start a record label?

I always thought it would be interesting. It’s a fanciful idea, yes, but I already had the ability to release music because I’d started [an imprint] for my solo album. It was totally dormant until I got a recording studio. Then I thought, maybe I can do the old Sun Studios thing and have everything under one roof.

But in today’s climate isn’t a record label a sure-fire way to drain your kid’s college fund?

I’m trying to avoid that. Mine is more of a administrative label, an artist-funded operation. I just see myself as a surrogate for self-releases. So in that sense, the college fund isn’t going out the window. I release the records and just take a small administrative percentage.

And it helps that it’s kind of a friends-and-family thing.

Yes, and that was my initial idea – to have an outlet for my friends to release their stuff.

Are the residency nights going to have the same vibe?

It should be fun in that way, having every band play in rotating fashion. Each of our current releases will have their own headlining night.

With all this other activity, have you had time to work on your own music?

I kinda chip away at it. When the inspiration strikes, I will recording something. Eventually I’ll release another record. My last – and first – record took forever. It was written and recorded over many years.

Speaking of many years, will we ever hear anything from Rilo Kiley again? The band seems to have spawned so many other projects …

I think you will hear a little something. I keep fueling the fires a bit, and things keep happening – just worked on a track the other day. I’m happy for all those other things that have happened.

||| Stream songs from Little Record Company releases:

Nik Freitas, “Middle”:

Miracle Parade, “Sweet Tooth”

Mike Bloom, “Til It’s Over”:

Heidecker & Wood, “Right or Wrong”:

||| Live: Below, the lineups for the Little Record Company residency:

Tonight

Miracle Parade
Whispertown
Jake Bellows
Michael Davis

July 12

Heidecker & Wood
Nik Freitas
Miracle Parade

July 19

Nik Freitas
Mike Bloom
Big Harp
Jeremy Messersmith

July 26

Mike Bloom
The Chances (Michael Runion)
Miracle Parade
Soft Pipes