They are the defenders of funk, champion movers of backsides, spreaders of the love, and fearless wearers of polyester, bug-eye sunglasses and gold chains. Behold Motor Booty Affair, disco avatars reportedly from the planet Funktar.

Claiming to be members of an alien race, each holding Ph.D.s in “bootology,” Motor Booty Affair recreates the sonic grooves of ’70s-era funk. They also amp the gaudy, sequined excesses of that decade up to 11 with their onstage appearance, which is complete with audacious, foot-high afros and a dangerous amount of polyester garb.

Motor Booty Affair aims to raise the roof and spread a little love tonight at Russell’s, 268 Odlin Road (next to the Ground Round). The show is 21 and up only and doors open at 8 p.m.

While the band plays some original material, the members stick primarily to those time-tested tunes from the ’70s disco-funk-rock songbook, including stuff by the Jackson 5, the Commodores, the Bee Gees, Barry White and even, occasionally, a song by the not-master of funk, Barry Manilow.

“It has to be written in the ’70s, has to have a wicked groove and has to make people dance,” says drummer Cyclone Link Skywalker Jr. of the criteria used in selecting songs for the Motor Booty treatment.

Since their Earth landing nearly seven years ago, Motor Booty Affair have become Maine’s favorite (and perhaps only) defenders of the funk, as well as a Bangor area favorite. And, via their Portland mothership connection, the boys of Booty – Spanish Fly (guitar, vocals), Superfly (guitar, vocals), Dr. Freakenstein (bass, vocals) and Cyclone Link Skywalker, Jr. (drums, vocals) – keep busy playing shows and private “funk-tions” in the outer reaches of the Maine galaxy and beyond. As Skywalker Jr. vows, “If people are in need of funk, we’ll be there.”

George Bragdon can be reached at gbragdon@bangordailynews.net. For more information about tonight’s gig, call Russell’s at 945-3111. For more about Motor Booty Affair, visit www.motorbootyaffair.com.