Born from the vision of Malcolm Guess (vocals and instrumentation) and Benjamin Jones (Drums and instrumentation) to create a band that would subtly blend the aggressive power of hard, yet melodic rock with the haunting and ethereal sounds of ancient instruments. Coming from a rock background, the two had always sought to push the boundaries of the genre and create a sound that was both dramatic and distinctive. The key elements to bring their vision into focus were discovered when their travels took them to such far away and exotic places as Thailand, Bali and Java.

Benjamin explains, “We wanted to infuse the hammered dulcimer or gamelan bells with distorted guitars, or tabla with tribal drumming, to create this really expansive depth of sound…It was important to us that it wasn’t obvious as to what instruments you were listening to, but rather blend them in subliminally to create unique textures that enrich the music.”

Following the lead of other successful bands helmed by two members such as A PERFECT CIRCLE and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, Malcolm and Ben formed the band in late 2003, after many years of seeking out exotic instruments and modifying existing ones to create the unique palette from which the sound of KAURA would be born.

The two sought to not only seek out a unique sound but a different lyrical voice as well. “The lyrical focus is more on themes of evolution, re-birth, and social and personal consciousness rather than the standard self-loathing, angry at-the-world fare of most hard rock bands,” says Malcolm. Drawing from his experience as a sound engineer, Guess recorded and produced KAURA’s self-titled 5-song E.P. While recording, the band received a helping hand from PAZ LENCHANTIN (A Perfect Circle, Zwan) who played violin on the song “Dividing Lines.”