Engenheiros do Hawaii

Engenheiros do Hawaii ("Engineers from/of Hawaii" in English) was a Brazilian rock band formed in Porto Alegre in 1985 that achieved great popularity with their ironic, critically charged songs with heavily semantic lyrics often relying on wordplays. The vocalist and bassist Humberto Gessinger is the last original member still in the band today.

History

First years in the south (1985–1989)

Three architecture college students from UFRGS, Humberto Gessinger (vocal and guitar), Carlos Maltz (drums) and Marcelo Pitz (bass) decided to form a band for a show in a college festival. That performance brought invitations to do new shows and after some gigs in alternative venues in Porto Alegre and a series along Rio Grande do Sul's country region, the Engenheiros do Hawaii recorded their first solo album: Longe Demais das Capitais (Too Far Away from the Capitals) in 1986 (the first recording was a compilation with several local bands, called "Rock Grande do Sul" in 1986). The record's musical direction pointed towards a more New Wave sound, very close to the sound of bands like The Police and Paralamas do Sucesso. It includes the songs "Toda Forma de Poder" (Every Form of Power) and "Sopa de Letrinhas" (Alphabet Soup).

Hawaii

Coordinates: 21°18′41″N 157°47′47″W / 21.31139°N 157.79639°W / 21.31139; -157.79639

Hawaii (English pronunciation: ⁱ/həˈwaɪʲi/ hə-WY-(y)ee; locally, [həˈwɐ(ɪ)ʔi]; Hawaiian: Hawaiʻi [həˈvɐjʔi]) is the 50th and most recent state of the United States of America, receiving statehood on August 21, 1959. Hawaii is the only U.S. state located in Oceania and the only one composed entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean. Hawaii is the only U.S. state not located in the Americas. The state does not observe daylight saving time.

The state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian archipelago, which comprises hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles (2,400 km). At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight main islands are—in order from northwest to southeast: Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui and the Island of Hawaiʻi. The last is the largest island in the group; it is often called the "Big Island" or "Hawaiʻi Island" to avoid confusion with the state or archipelago. The archipelago is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania.

Humberto Gessinger

Humberto Gessinger (born December 24, 1963) is best known as the singer, guitarist, and bassist of the Brazilian band Engenheiros do Hawaii.

Gessinger was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil. In late 1984, he formed a rock band with two friends from the faculty of architecture at UFRGS, Carlos Maltz and Marcelo Pitz, to play in a parade made by students. The band decided to call themselves Engenheiros do Hawaii (Engineers from Hawaii), which was a name making fun of the surf wear that most of the Engineering students sported at the university campus.

The band released their first album in 1986, although they had already appeared in a 'promising bands' collection of BMG Music at 1985. With the departure of Marcelo Pitz in May 1987, Gessinger started playing bass and the band recruited Augusto Licks as lead guitarist. In 2001, with yet another new formation of the band (Paulinho Galvão on guitar, Bernardo Fonseca on bass and Gláucio Ayala on drums) he returned to lead guitar. After the band ended its activities, Gessinger joined the friend and musician Duca Leindecker, former leader of the band Cidadão Quem. They created the duo Pouca Vogal, who stayed active for 4 years, till both singers decided to go on with their solo careers... Humberto Gessinger is now recording a solo album which will feature 11-14 songs, however, for his tour he joins Esteban Tavares from Fresno and Paulinho Goulart.