Formed in Porto Alegre, RS during 1984, Engenheiros do Hawaii assembled guitarist and vocalist Humberto Gessinger—born in that city in 1962—alongside drummer Carlos Maltz, also born there in 1963, and bassist Marcelo Fagundes Pitz, likewise a 1963 native of Porto Alegre. Guitarist Carlos Stein, formerly of Nenhum de Nós, took part in the group’s earliest shows before departing shortly afterward. Their debut performance occurred on January 11, 1985; buoyed by favorable reactions, the musicians soon headed out for modest gigs across upstate Rio Grande do Sul.
BMG, scouting material for a compilation spotlighting emerging southern acts, learned of a festival at Gigantinho stadium where Engenheiros do Hawaii had been chosen to appear. Two tracks from that event appeared on the label’s LP; “Sopa de Letrinhas” caught on locally, prompting BMG to offer the band a full-length release. Longe Demais das Capitais delivered the hit “Toda Forma de Poder,” which found its way into a TV Globo soap opera, yet by then the recently married Pitz had exited. Gessinger assumed bass duties and brought guitarist Augusto Licks aboard. Their follow-up, A Revolta dos Dândis, arrived in 1987 and yielded further successes: “Infinita Highway,” “Terra de Gigantes,” and the title track. On July 16, 1988, the group played III Festival Alternativa Nativa at Rio’s Maracanãzinho before 20,000 spectators, after which sold-out stadium concerts became routine.
Later that year Engenheiros do Hawaii tracked Ouça o Que eu Digo, Não Ouça Ninguém, an album that introduced keyboards into their sonic palette and scored with the tracks “Ouça o Que eu Digo, Não Ouça Ninguém,” “Somos Quem Podemos Ser,” “Tribos e Tribunais,” and “A Verdade a Ver Navios.” The musicians relocated to Rio de Janeiro, and in 1989 they performed in Moscow before recording their fourth album, Alívio Imediato, live at Canecão; the set revisited “Terra de Gigantes” and “Toda Forma de Poder” alongside new material.
Their fifth LP, O Papa é Pop (1990), moved 350,000 copies and spawned several hits—“Homem só,” the first non-original “Era um Garoto…,” “Pra Ser Sincero,” and “Perfeita Simetria.” The record incorporated a drum machine and marked the band’s initial foray into self-production; they also drew praise at the contentious Rock in Rio II, the sole Brazilian act singled out positively by The New York Times.
In 1991 Engenheiros do Hawaii released Várias Variáveis, whose green artwork completed a trilogy referencing the primary colors of the Rio Grande do Sul flag. Once more self-produced, the album connected through “Piano Bar,” “Ando Só,” “Muros e Grades,” and “Herdeiro da Pampa Pobre.” GLM, their seventh studio effort, followed in 1992; leaning toward English progressive rock, it generated the hits “Ninguém = Ninguém” and “Parabólica,” the latter penned for Gessinger’s daughter Clara.
Early in 1993 the band opened for Nirvana at Hollywood Rock and faced boos from fans uninterested in hearing the Brazilian group. Their eighth album, Filmes de Guerra, Canções de Amor, was captured live at Rio’s refined Sala Cecília Meireles with arrangements by Wagner Tiso and contributions from the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira. Promotion took the musicians to Japan and the United States, where a concert video was filmed and later issued. Late in 1993 Licks departed; Ricardo Horn stepped in, and the touring continued. Guitarist Fernando Deluqui, ex-RPM, and accordionist/keyboardist Paolo Casarim joined as well.
A fresh album, Simples de Coração, surfaced in late 1995, recorded in Los Angeles under producer Greg Ladany; an English-language counterpart was also laid down. The project yielded the successes “A Promessa,” “A Perigo,” and the title song. Carlos Maltz left in 1997. With guitarist Luciano Granja, drummer Adal Fonseca, keyboardist Lúcio Dorfman, and Gessinger now leading the lineup, Engenheiros do Hawaii cut Minuano, which featured the hits “A Montanha” and “Nuvem.”
