BOY FROM BRAZIL

José Adilson Firmino Silva Júnior, or Junior Groovador, is a unique bass player. Allying an unearthly grasp of funk to a butt-shaking dance performance that attracted the attention of Tenacious D back in 2019, Junior is a genuinely compelling musician—but one that relatively few people know outside his home country of Brazil. As he doesn’t speak English, we used an interpreter to assist with our interview with this effervescent musician.

Asked how he is, the 38-year-old bassist replies: “Everything is fine, everything is groovy, everything is in high spirits here in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, which is the city where I live. It’s very hot here—it reaches 40 degrees.”

As for the city of Natal, he explains: “It is a city with many beaches. Here, you can catch the sun with your hand. There is a lot of tourism here and the forrórhythm predominates here. a very rich northeastern rhythm with a mixture of a very famous.”