PARK CITY — Talk about musicians walking the independent walk and you're talking about New York-based rock group The Honorary Title.

The band was at Sundance Friday, performing as part of a three-day set of gigs put on for invited festivalgoers by Warner Bros. Records and music video station Fuse TV.

Wait, a mega-label band at an independent film festival? Sure, said Jarrod Gorbel, lead singer and guitarist for the unapologetic pop/rock outfit.

"We're very much an indie band on a major label," Gorbel said during an interview a few hours before going on stage. "It's really where the labels are going, signing indie artists and keeping that integrity."

Gorbel said working with independent producers the likes of Roger Moutenot (Yo La Tengo, Sleater-Kinney) on 2004's "Anything Else But the Truth," and Rob Schnapf for their latest record has kept their sound pure indie. (Schnapf has laid down tracks for Beck, The Vines and the late Elliott Smith, whom Gorbel cited as a major influence).

"We've been so lucky in that respect," he said about the producers. "I just love the sound of the Yo La Tengo records, just that warmth, lo-fi, total indie. And Rob (Schnapf) is just amazing to work for, we reached out to him and he responded unbelievably."

He said his own band's sound has evolved organically and texturally the past few years. From intimate, introspective songwriting to the current vibe of a larger, louder, and altogether better band belting street-smart rocking tunes.

And though not a "connoisseur" of independent film, Gorbel named Wes Anderson and the Coen Brothers as art-form favorites. He said his Park City schedule this year hasn't left much time to catch a movie.

"It's been hectic, but that doesn't mean we're not having a good time," he said. "This place is just beautiful, environmentally, among other things. I'm sure we'll be back."

To catch the band's latest video "Stuck At Sea" off last year's "Scream and Light Up the Sky," visit the following site: www.thehonorarytitle.com.