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 in 1986.

The band changed their sound, turning to a more Bob Dylan-ish, folk mood, with critical lyrics with literature quotes from philosophers such as Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre.

Well-known songs from this album include "Somos Quem Podemos Ser", "Nunca Se Sabe", "Tribos & Tribunais" and "Variações Sobre o Mesmo Tema", the last one being a tribute to Pink Floyd, with its progressive mood and being split in three parts.

Acclaimed by the people and bashed by the critics, the Engenheiros do Hawaii left their mark in Rock in Rio II, earning praises from even The New York Times.

With acoustic guitars, percussion, piano and guesting the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, scored by Wagner Tiso, old songs like "Muros & Grades" and "Crônica" and new works like "Mapas do Acaso" and "Realidade Virtual" sounded cooler and highlighted the quality of Gessinger's songwriting.

The disc, which mixed regional influences and critical lyrics by Gessinger, combining the success of "A Montanha", as well as other songs such as "Nuvem" and "Alucinação", a cover of an old tune by MPB singer Belchior.

The follow-up, Tchau Radar!, from 1999, showed a more mature Engenheiros, with tunes considered beautiful by fans, like "Eu Que Não Amo Você" and "3 x 4", and two covers: "Negro Amor", a version of Bob Dylan's It's All Over Now, Baby Blue, and "A Cruzada".

Some months after their performance in Rock in Rio III, Lucio, Adal and Luciano left the band to form Massa Crítica, changing once again the formation of Engenheiros.

After this parting, Lucio, Adal and Luciano were replaced by Paulinho Galvão (rhythm guitar), Bernardo Fonseca (bass) and Gláucio Ayala (drums).

The following album, Dançando no Campo Minado, from 2003, continued the theme: short tracks, heavy guitar and critical lyrics of Gessinger denouncing the perils of globalization, war and showing disillusionment with politics and ideology, the last one featuring contributions from Carlos Maltz.

Special guests on this session were Fernando Aranha (acoustic guitar), Humberto Barros (Hammond organ) and Carlos Maltz, Gessinger presented new versions of classics like "Infinita Highway" and "O Papa é Pop".

After the success of the unplugged DVD, the band, reformed by Humberto Gessinger, with the loss of the guitarist Paulinho Galvão who went on to other projects, carried on with new additions Fernando Aranha on strings, and the young musician Pedro Augusto on keyboards.