In 2010, folk-rock band Carbon Leaf did something unexpected: They jettisoned their major record label and returned to their independent roots.

"As of this point we're going to be an independent band again” leader Barry Privett said in comments on the band’s website. “We're tired of waiting ... two years to make a record and then you know waiting for six months for a setup and then you know having it be fully dependent on a label's schedule."

Carbon Leaf, known best for the hits “Life Less Ordinary" and "The Boxer," stops at The Ark for a show Sunday night.

The band’s three-disc “Live, Acoustic ... And In Cinemascope!” was released this spring. The set captures the band's entire 18-song performance from a concert in front of a hometown crowd in Richmond, Va.

"In a lot of ways, this performance represents Carbon Leaf at our most naked,” Privett said. “It gets somewhat easy to hide behind a wall of sound, so stripping things down to their acoustic essentials is a challenge in simplicity. You're reminded of how the songs first began—a couple of guys sitting around with their acoustics on the porch, just playing some chords and scatting some melodies, searching for that spark of inspiration ... for the story."

Carbon Leaf began got its start in 1992, and landed a recording contract with Vanguard Records in 2004. Besides keeping to a hectic touring schedule, the band placed first in the International Songwriting Competition, won an American Music Award, and recorded the music for the “Curious George 2” soundtrack. Carbon Leaf also produced two independent albums in 2010, including the holiday album “Christmas Child.”

By its own count, Carbon Leaf averages around 125 live shows a year—a lot of time on the tour bus by anyone’s standards.

"We want to put out music we enjoy. We like to write songs and record them in the studio. And then once we've finished the whole song, take it out live," Privett explained.