He's best known for fronting Grant Lee Buffalo, the Americana-tinged alt-rock band that achieved moderate critical and commercial success in the early 1990s (or, to a younger audience, for playing the role of town troubadour on basic-cable dramedy "Gilmore Girls"), but Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips has enjoyed a fruitful, if somewhat less visible, second career as a solo performer. Last year's poignant Walking in the Green Corn LP found Phillips delving deeply into his Native American heritage. Over its 10 tracks, the songwriter explored themes of family, history and place, his expressive voice and steady guitar playing anchoring the beautifully understated set of songs. Former Modern Skirts frontman Jay Gulley warms the Melting Point stage Thursday with a set of solo material.