It must be the weather. As winter wears on ever more cold and bleak, I find myself a sucker for live funk. Indeed, for sonically warming the half-frozen backside, there’s nothing like it. I don’t think I’m alone in this opinion either, as when the Motor Booty Affair landed last Friday at Russell’s the funk-hungry came out en masse.

But for those of us who need a steady dose at this time of year (or really at any time of year), The Funkizon plays 8:30-11:30 p.m. Thursday nights at the Waterfront Bar & Grill, 16 Union St., in Bangor.

The Bangor area quintet featuring Bill Mayo, guitar, Anthony Drouin, rhythm guitar, Spencer Nelson, drums, Roderick Pinkney, bass, and Nigel Hall on keyboards, knocks out some stellar grooves. Although rooted in funk, the band also has a strong jazz influence that adds a unique flavor to its sets of mostly original, instrumental material.

As for the venue, The Waterfront Bar & Grill is a comfortable, generally low-key place tucked beneath the Joshua Chamberlain Bridge and features live music most weekend nights. The space is intimate, the food and drink are both reasonably priced (I highly recommend the hot wings) and there’s even a dance floor.

George Bragdon can be reached at gbragdon@bangordailynews.net. The Funkizon’s Web site is still under construction but MP3s are available at http://Funkizon.dmusic.com. For more information about tonight’s gig, call the Waterfront at 992-7273.