Full show report and pictures below the break.

On short notice, Austin funk rock trio The Lefties took the stage twice at Mixx on Saturday night. Mixx, as it is now being referred to, is going through a bit of a transition, turning into a live music venue and leaving its night club past behind. Other than some key branding and marketing changes to come, the venue is

shaping up nicely despite just starting the transition last week. If it continues to have nights like Saturday night, it should have no problem shouldering its way into the music scene. The night was entertaining, the drinks were cheap, the music was good, and there wasn’t a cover.

The dynamic threesome that comprise The Lefties are clearly talented musicians and improvised a good deal of their first set, resulting in a couple genuinely funny and interesting moments. At one point, beer spilled on lead singer/guitarist Brandon Pierce’s set list. His response was to describe the situation in the form of a freestyle rap while cleaning it up.

Around 10:30pm, southern rockers Meatwood took their turn on stage. Clearly invoking Motorhead and ZZ Top, this “west Texas mess” cranked it up and rocked out. Meatwood looks and sounds like it is a home on the Headhunters, Red Eye Fly, Room 710 circuit, with their distorted and heavy guitar-driven rock.

After Meatwood finished up, The Lefties hopped on stage one more time to bring the night home. The second set featured a little less improvisation…for a while. They played a funk rock cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together” as well as invited a friend to come on stage and rap. The Lefties aren’t well-known in the Austin music scene, but they are intensely entertaining and fun to watch due to their tendency to fly by the seats of their pants.

Mixx, as a venue, held up well. The sound system is capable of pushing out clear sound and Mike, the sound guy, was constantly working to tweak and improve the sound. The biggest issue the venue will deal with in the near future is the branding and marketing of it’s new focus, while still looking like a night club. Seeing the faces of patrons expecting bumping hip-hop music when they entered and saw a live band instead provided a good deal of entertainment. However, it points to the fact that the word isn’t yet out and Mixx has a good deal of work in store for it to change its image.