page_title: Avial (band)
section_title: 2003–2008
hierarchical_section_title: Avial (band) / History / 2003–2008
caption_attribution_description: English: Indian alternative rock band Avial performing at Kochi in 2011. Vocalist Tony John and bassist Binny Isaac can be seen.
context_page_description: Avial are an Indian alternative rock band formed in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India in 2003, and known for their Malayalam lyrics. The band initially included lead vocalist Anandraj Benjamin Paul, turntablist and backing vocalist Tony John, guitarist Rex Vijayan, bassist Naresh Kamath and drummer Mithun Puthanveetil. Avial had their first breakthrough with the 2003 single "Nada Nada". They are known for pioneering what they call "Alternative Malayali rock", which is the style of combining Malayalam lyrics and rock music. Their eponymous album got them six out of seven Jack Daniels Rock Awards and Footprints Young Achiever's Award in 2008. The band was praised for achieving mainstream success despite singing in their native language.
  After Paul and Kamath's departure in 2008, John took over the vocals. Later Binny Isaac joined in as bassist and Neha Nair as a guest vocalist. Their debut album covers social issues, consisting of folk songs and poems. In 2009, they collaborated with the Italian band A67 for the song "Chi Me Sape". They composed the singles "Aana Kallan" and "Chillane" for the Malayalam films Salt N' Pepper and 22 Female Kottayam.
context_section_description: Rex Vijayan was the guitarist from the progressive rock band Motherjane in Kochi for five years. He met Tony John, then band-member of Jigsaw Puzzle, which also included Anandraj Benjamin Paul and John P. Varkey. Vijayan, Tony John and Naresh Kamath were, for a brief period, part of a dance-music troupe by Daksha Sheth Dance Company in Thiruvananthapuram. John showed Vijayan a version of the song "Nada Nada". He liked its Malayalam lyrics and they decided to perfect it. Avial was formed in 2003 with lead vocalist Anandraj Benjamin Paul, turntablist and backing vocalist Tony John, guitarist Rex Vijayan, bassist Naresh Kamath and drummer Mithun Puthanveetil. The band was named after the south Indian dish avial, which is traditionally part of Sadya, made with a mixture of various vegetables. Vijayan thought of the name with they representing a combination of various influences with their music, just like how avial is a dish blended with assorted ingredients, being the official explanation.
  "Nada Nada" was originally written by Engandiyur Chandrashekaran and John P. Varkey. The band first composed it in English for an album which they did not promote commercially. John said, "Till then we used to play only English songs. Later when we realised that the big names of rock music drew inspiration from the songs of the soil, we turned to Malayalam lyrics." They practised in John's home studio in Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram with new instrumentation and its original Malayalam lyrics. Vijayan is from Kollam while Puthanveetil is Kannur-based. Film-maker Pradeep Kalipurayath, creative head at Poorman Productions helped them shoot the song video and they uploaded it to YouTube in addition to releasing it in SS Music in 2003. Unsure whether it would get good reception and about singing in Malayalam, they waited for a year to begin recording their debut album Avial. "Nada Nada" went viral on YouTube and was well received.
  The band spent a year finding a record label and Mumbai-based Naresh Kamath got them a deal with Phat Phish Records from the city. "Karukara" from Avial is a poem by Kavalam Narayana Panikkar from the Malayalam film Kummatti, while the rest of the songs were written by people known to them. They combined "Karukura" with heavy guitar riffs and bass lines. Sudhi Velamanoor wrote the songs "Aadu Pambe" and "Ettam pattu", in addition to contributions by lyricist P. B. Gireesh. Singer Aparnasree provided supporting vocals in two songs. A new version of "Nada Nada" was also in the album.
  Avial was completed in 2008 and they launched it at Bandra Amphitheatre; MTV released their music video. Their first live show was in March 2008 at the East Wind festival in New Delhi. Prior to this, lead vocalist Anandraj Benjamin Paul migrated to the US with his wife, which led to John replacing him; bassist Naresh Kamath left because of being originally from the fusion band Kailasa with Binny Issac taking his place. Neha Nair, a playback singer who specialised in Carnatic and Hindustani music, joined the band as the backing vocalist in the same year. The album sold over 45,000 copies, despite being entirely in Malayalam. They received six of the seven Jack Daniels Rock Awards in 2008 including song of the year, album of the year and band of the year in popular and critics' categories as well as the Footprints Young Achiever's Award. John said, "Language is really not an issue because the sound speaks for us. It is only the sound that matters."
caption: Vocalist Tony John and bassist Binny Isaac performing at Kochi in 2011. After the departures of Anandraj Benjamin Paul and Naresh Kamath in 2008, John, previously turntablist and backing vocalist, took over Paul's role and Issac replaced Kamath.
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