Avial
Encyclopedia
Avial is an Indian alternative rock
band from Trivandrum, Kerala
, India
. The band is named after the popular South India
n dish Avial
. The band consists of Tony John (vocals), Rex Vijayan (guitar
s), Mithun Puthanveetil (drums
), and Binny Isaac (bass
). The band's music is a fusion of native folk music
from Kerala and Alternative Rock. The band was formed in 2003 in Thiruvananthapuram
(Trivandrum) in Kerala, and focussed on rock performances only in Malayalam language.
, which is traditionally a part of the Sadya, and made with a mixture of contrasting vegetables. The band's work is a mix of folk music from Kerala and alternative rock, and the band's name is a reference to this.
Avial has devised its own flavour of music, which the band members refer to as "Alternative Malayali Rock", that reflects the one of a kind heritage of Kerala life. The Malayalam lyrics used are well blended into their rock songs. The band's maiden album has been complimented for excellent instrumental play, brilliant singing, and lyrics which are beautiful and poignant at the same time. The album received generally positive response from rock enthusiasts in India, especially the youth.
So far Avial has been involved most in doing live shows. Most of the performances were in major cities like Mumbai
, Delhi
, Bangalore
, Madras, Cochin (Ernakulam
), Trivandrum and so on. Shows were also held internationally in places like Dubai
, Mauritius
, Reunion Island etc. They were honored to perform at the Sakifo (Reunion) World Music Festival held in Mauritius that brought together 40 rock bands from across the world. Avial was the lone band to be selected from India to represent the country in the festival. The experience was special for the band since the crowd was multinational, mostly French. Impressed with their music, the popular Italian band 'A67 approached them to be a part of one of their forthcoming album, ‘Suburb’, its one song collaboration. The collaboration spawned the song "Chi Me Sape".
Popular record label Phat Phish Records was co-hosting a reality show for rock bands, along with renowned musician AR Rahman. Avial was invited to perform at their opening press meet. And during the press meet, Rahman singled out the band and expressed his interest in their unique style of music and sensible blend folklore and urban rock. The “Rock On” humanity concert was indeed a great experience for the band. The concert was primarily a fund-raiser for the victims affected by the Bihar floods. Farhan Akhtar
, a well-known director-actor in the Hindi film industry, spearheaded the concert. Avial was the only band to be invited from Kerala.
At the Jack Daniels
Annual Rock Awards 08-09, Avial walked away the winner of six awards – Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Band of the Year, for both the popular choice and critics award categories.
The latest performance of Avial is for a Malayalam movie Salt'N Pepper. The only song they are making for the production is "Aanakkallan".
, who began his musical career by mastering cover versions. He is the son of Albert Vijayan, a music director in Malayalam films. Rex had his schooling in Kochi
, and took part in
"Magnum Opus" by Bhavans Vidya Mandir and "Vista" by Rajagiri school. He has some renowned performances in India and abroad to his name. He was part of a popular band Motherjane
from 2000 to 2003. He was also part of a novice German hip-hop band "Intensive Erfrischung(Intensive Refreshment)http://www.intensive-erfrischung.de/", which was based in Munich
and is also actively involved with Daksha Seth’s Dance Company, which is concerned with performing on stage contemporary dance. Gibson Guitar Corporation, USA
offered him to be their endorsee for their latest high end series guitar. Rex forayed into film music direction with the Malayalam film Chaappa Kurish
, directed by Sameer Thahir.& now with next project 22 Female Kottayam
and settled in Trivandrum. Versatile on the tabla
and a wide range of percussion, Mithun dabbled with pop music, before finding his true calling in funk and rock. He has distinguished himself through a Heavy Metal
band named Rage, based in Thiruvananthapuram
. He is also the son of veteran politician and former Cabinet Minister in Kerala government
, Mr. Kadannappally Ramachandran.
. He hails from Trivandrum. The music workshop of the band is functioning in the house of Tony.
Anand is from Thrissur
, and was the lead singer for the band's self-titled album. He was also an English teacher until he quit the profession to dedicate his time to music. He has many stage shows in India and abroad to his credit. Interestingly, he sang jingles to unwind. However, due to personal issues, he decided not to continue any longer with the band.
Naresh Kamath was the only non-Malayali in the band. He is a prominent guitarist in the Hindi film industry and is part of Kailash Kher's band.
The music video for the song "Aana Kallan" from their forthcoming album was released on 23.5.2011, and also appears on the soundtrack of the movie Salt n' Pepper
...
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band from Trivandrum, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The band is named after the popular South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
n dish Avial
Avial
Avial is an Indian alternative rock band from Trivandrum, Kerala, India. The band is named after the popular South Indian dish Avial. The band consists of Tony John , Rex Vijayan , Mithun Puthanveetil , and Binny Isaac . The band's music is a fusion of native folk music from Kerala and Alternative...
. The band consists of Tony John (vocals), Rex Vijayan (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s), Mithun Puthanveetil (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), and Binny Isaac (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
). The band's music is a fusion of native folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
from Kerala and Alternative Rock. The band was formed in 2003 in Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
(Trivandrum) in Kerala, and focussed on rock performances only in Malayalam language.
Etymology
The name of the band is taken from a Kerala dish AviyalAviyal
Avial is a dish that has a unique place in typical Kerala as well as Tamil cuisine and Udupi cuisine. It is a thick mixture of vegetables, curd and coconut, seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves...
, which is traditionally a part of the Sadya, and made with a mixture of contrasting vegetables. The band's work is a mix of folk music from Kerala and alternative rock, and the band's name is a reference to this.
Music
Avial depicts the social scene of Kerala and the common man residing there about a hundred years back. The music consists of folk songs that were predominantly sung by the workers in the paddy fields, along with alternative rock. The plight of farmers whose hard-earned crop was seized by the local landlords is clearly portrayed in the lyrics of their songs. This portrayal is a new trend, and is unlike the other lyrical themes of majority of the conventional rock bands.Avial has devised its own flavour of music, which the band members refer to as "Alternative Malayali Rock", that reflects the one of a kind heritage of Kerala life. The Malayalam lyrics used are well blended into their rock songs. The band's maiden album has been complimented for excellent instrumental play, brilliant singing, and lyrics which are beautiful and poignant at the same time. The album received generally positive response from rock enthusiasts in India, especially the youth.
So far Avial has been involved most in doing live shows. Most of the performances were in major cities like Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, Madras, Cochin (Ernakulam
Ernakulam
Ernakulam refers to the downtown area or the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala and is a main nerve of business in...
), Trivandrum and so on. Shows were also held internationally in places like Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, Reunion Island etc. They were honored to perform at the Sakifo (Reunion) World Music Festival held in Mauritius that brought together 40 rock bands from across the world. Avial was the lone band to be selected from India to represent the country in the festival. The experience was special for the band since the crowd was multinational, mostly French. Impressed with their music, the popular Italian band 'A67 approached them to be a part of one of their forthcoming album, ‘Suburb’, its one song collaboration. The collaboration spawned the song "Chi Me Sape".
Popular record label Phat Phish Records was co-hosting a reality show for rock bands, along with renowned musician AR Rahman. Avial was invited to perform at their opening press meet. And during the press meet, Rahman singled out the band and expressed his interest in their unique style of music and sensible blend folklore and urban rock. The “Rock On” humanity concert was indeed a great experience for the band. The concert was primarily a fund-raiser for the victims affected by the Bihar floods. Farhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar is an Indian filmmaker, script writer, actor, playback singer, lyricist, film producer in Hindi cinema and a television host.His directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai won a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi...
, a well-known director-actor in the Hindi film industry, spearheaded the concert. Avial was the only band to be invited from Kerala.
At the Jack Daniels
Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's is a brand of sour mash Tennessee whiskey that is among the world's best-selling liquors. It is known for its square bottles and black label. As of November, 2007, one blogger was claiming that it was the best-selling whiskey in the world. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee by...
Annual Rock Awards 08-09, Avial walked away the winner of six awards – Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Band of the Year, for both the popular choice and critics award categories.
The latest performance of Avial is for a Malayalam movie Salt'N Pepper. The only song they are making for the production is "Aanakkallan".
Current band members
- Rex Vijayan (lead guitar and synthesizer)
- Tony John (vocals, turntables and synthesizer)
- Mithun Puthanveetil (drums)
- Binny Isaac (bass)
Rex Vijayan
Rex Vijayan is a guitarist from KollamKollam
Kollam , often anglicized as ', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram...
, who began his musical career by mastering cover versions. He is the son of Albert Vijayan, a music director in Malayalam films. Rex had his schooling in Kochi
Kochi
-Places:* Kochi, a city in the state of Kerala, India, formerly known as Cochin* Kingdom of Cochin, a former feudal city-state on Malabar Coast, India** Fort Kochi, one of the three main urban components which constitute the present day city of Kochi, Kerala, India...
, and took part in
"Magnum Opus" by Bhavans Vidya Mandir and "Vista" by Rajagiri school. He has some renowned performances in India and abroad to his name. He was part of a popular band Motherjane
Motherjane
Motherjane is an Indian rock band from Kochi, India, formed in 1996. The band consists of Suraj Mani , John Thomas , Clyde Rozario , Deepu Sasidharan and Santosh Chandran . They have released a total of two studio albums, and three singles...
from 2000 to 2003. He was also part of a novice German hip-hop band "Intensive Erfrischung(Intensive Refreshment)http://www.intensive-erfrischung.de/", which was based in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and is also actively involved with Daksha Seth’s Dance Company, which is concerned with performing on stage contemporary dance. Gibson Guitar Corporation, USA
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
offered him to be their endorsee for their latest high end series guitar. Rex forayed into film music direction with the Malayalam film Chaappa Kurish
Chaappa Kurish
Chaappa Kurish is a 2011 Malayalam thriller film co-written and directed by Sameer Thahir and starring Fahad Fazil, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Roma, Remya Nambeesan and Nivetha in the lead roles...
, directed by Sameer Thahir.& now with next project 22 Female Kottayam
22 Female Kottayam
22 Female Kottayam is a Malayalam-language Indian feature film directed by Aashiq Abu, starring Fahad Fazil and Rima Kallingal.-Plot:22 Female Kottayam is the story of 2 friends Tessa Abraham and Cyril C Mathew, their love and relationship....
Mithun Puthanveetil
Mithun is the drummer of Avial, and hails from KannurKannur
Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...
and settled in Trivandrum. Versatile on the tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
and a wide range of percussion, Mithun dabbled with pop music, before finding his true calling in funk and rock. He has distinguished himself through a Heavy Metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band named Rage, based in Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
. He is also the son of veteran politician and former Cabinet Minister in Kerala government
Government of Kerala
The Government of Kerala is a democratically elected body that governs the State of Kerala, India for a period of 5 years. The state government is headed by the Governor of Kerala as the nominal head of state, with a democratically elected Chief Minister as real head of the executive. The state...
, Mr. Kadannappally Ramachandran.
Tony John
Tony is the band's current vocalist.He replaced band's former vocalist Anandraj Benjamin Paul. He is also a gifted percussionist who mainly works on turntables. His rise to fame came in the 1990s, while working for a band called Karizma. He has worked with the Daksha dance company in ThiruvananthapuramThiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
. He hails from Trivandrum. The music workshop of the band is functioning in the house of Tony.
Binny Isaac
Binny Isaac has currently replaced the former bass guitarist Naresh Kamath, who was the only non-Malayali member of the band, hailing from Mumbai. His home town is TrivandrumFormer members
- Anand Raj Benjamin Paul (lead vocals)
Anand is from Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
, and was the lead singer for the band's self-titled album. He was also an English teacher until he quit the profession to dedicate his time to music. He has many stage shows in India and abroad to his credit. Interestingly, he sang jingles to unwind. However, due to personal issues, he decided not to continue any longer with the band.
- Naresh Kamath (bass guitar)
Naresh Kamath was the only non-Malayali in the band. He is a prominent guitarist in the Hindi film industry and is part of Kailash Kher's band.
Track listing
Future
Avial is working on their next album, which was expected to be released in the month of February 2011. A couple of tracks from the new album were played live by the band during their concerts, before the release of the album. During their show at St.John's Medical College, Bangalore, on 14 August 2010, the band opened their concert with a new track titled 'Ayyo'.It has been confirmed that the new album will contain a total of 8 new tracks. During an interview with Yentha.com, vocalist Tony John answered a question about the title of the album as: "It is still nameless. We just spontaneously come up with the name one fine day. One of our songs in the album is called 'Aana Kallan', and it's all about fraud swamis and monks who are out to cheat people." Their next album will also be their first album featuring Tony John on lead vocals. The album is also expected to feature a different sound compared to their debut album.The music video for the song "Aana Kallan" from their forthcoming album was released on 23.5.2011, and also appears on the soundtrack of the movie Salt n' Pepper
Salt N' Pepper
Salt N' Pepper is a 2011 Malayalam romantic comedy film directed by Aashiq Abu. The film stars Lal, Asif Ali, Shweta Menon and Mythili in the lead roles while Baburaj and Vijayaraghavan play supporting roles. Cinematography is by Shyju Kahild, who's debut was Traffic...
...