Music History

K irk got his musical start playing with Philadelphia legend Robert Hazard shortly after Hazard penned “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” for Cyndi Lauper, and then Kirk went on to form his own bands, including The Killtoys and Shovelhead.

The latter group battered the Philly region with their post-grunge sound in the mid-90s and shared the stage with an impressive list of bands including Fugazi, fIREHOSE, Goo Goo Dolls, Godflesh and Dread Zeppelin. In 1996, A&M Records paid for them to record an album and then subsequently dropped them.

In 1999, Kirk moved to the NYC metro area where he built his own recording studio and formed a songwriting partnership with Austin, TX native Timothy Abbott. The two created The Figurados and released two critically-acclaimed CDs: “Divine Spirits, Holy Smoke” and “Lesson Two,” which the band supported by playing live in both the Austin and NYC areas.

When that project came to a halt in late 2010, Kirk embarked on his healing pilgrimage to Brazil and within days new songs began to emerge. Originally the focus of the tunes was self-healing, but Kirk soon realized that the music and vibrations could have a powerful effect on others and that has become the major focus of all his subsequent releases under the banner as The Zen Engines.

In 2012, he released "Obrigado," a record influenced by his experiences in Brazil. The album was produced and recorded by Gregg Kirk and mixed and mastered by studio veteran Phil Nicolo (Aerosmith, Urge Overkill, Lauryn Hill, Cypress Hill) at Studio 4 in Conshohocken, PA.

In 2014, Kirk honed his sound to a distinct combination of ’70s rock that still manages to sound current with the release of "Everything." He openly admits that all of the songs’ music and lyrics came from a source outside of himself. Call it “channeled” music or simply divinely inspired, this release finds the band stepping into a more focused and sleek sound. This album was also produced by Kirk and mixed and mastered by Phil Nicolo at Studio 4 in Conshohocken, PA.

In 2017, Kirk released his third CD in five years. "Break Open" spans such topics as healing from chronic illness, spiritual awakening, and journeys into the unknown. The musical range is much wider than past releases, spanning from heavy rock tunes to acoustic ballads. Once again, this album was also produced by Kirk and mixed and mastered by Phil Nicolo at Studio 4 in Conshohocken, PA.

In 2021, Kirk released his fourth release and first four-song EP. "Semi-Precious Tones" is a musical departure from past releases in that it takes a more cinematic approach to song structure, tone and execution. The diversity of musical influences is also wider, spanning from Balkan folk music to modern rock.

This album was produced by Gregg Kirk and mixed and mastered by Billy Gewin at Cave Cricket Studios in Atlanta, GA.