Some members of the seated audience were clearly there to see the later act, Federico Aubelle, creating a tension at which the lanky, bespectacled Barzelay bristled.

"You guys are still eating, huh?" he asked several tables sedately working through dinner. A few songs later he deadpanned, "Oh, you're digesting. I understand."

Still, fans of Clem Snide's twangy melancholy and biting wit found much to enjoy in Barzelay's full-band performance under his own name.

He opened with two songs from his second solo album, last month's Lose Big. "It Could Be Worse" belied its seemingly optimistic title with an acidic chorus - "I can't find comfort in the fact that it could be worse." And "The Girls Don't Care" referenced the rabble-rousing films Five Easy Pieces and Cool Hand Luke before coming to a stormy close.

His sharp, nasal singing was raspier than usual, combining with Jay Cooper's plaintive lap steel for a jagged alt-country feel. Despite Barzelay's hammy spoken interludes and loose-limbed presence, the darkness of songs like "Apocalyptic Friend" settled somewhat uncomfortably over the audience.

The three other players departed toward the end of the set so Barzelay could perform two songs from his stripped-down 2006 solo debut, Bitter Honey. He nailed the brutally honest "Well" and fan favorite "The Ballad of Bitter Honey," instilling the bleak backstory of an extra in a rap video with his reliable stone-faced wit.

Drummer Joe Costa rejoined him during the mournful Clem Snide selection "Something Beautiful," as in, "You make me wanna break something beautiful," and the full band reconvened for a final song.

Between scoring last year's well-received indie film Rocket Science and touring with fellow Nashville transplant Ben Folds, Barzelay has definitely been getting his unique name (he was born in Israel) out there lately. Barzelay's uncommonly precise songwriting is ideal for repeat visits, as fans learned on Tuesday.