| 'We
will bring out another album in the next year and half' |
|
| Posted
on 15 February 2008 | With
elements of Indie rock and folk, embedded in each of the songs featured on their
album, new Malayali rock band Avial has managed to mix to perfection an altogether
unique sound that the band members like to call “Alternative Malayali Rock”. The
band members consist of Anandraj Benjamin Paul (vocalist), Tony John (vocalist
turntables and synth), Rex Vijayan (guitar and synth), Mithun Puthanveetil (drums)
and Naresh Kamath (bass guitarist). In
a chat with radioandmusic.com’s Shabana Ali, band member Tony John
shares the band's journey thus far and their plans for 2008.
Excerpts:
Why is the
band named Avial?
Avial
is a Malayali dish, which is made of mixed vegetables. So Avial represents something
that's mixed or messed up. And we are a mixture of musical influences and styles
ranging from folk music to classic rock.
Tell
me more about your album.
Our album also called Avial, was released on
8 February and we received an overwhelming response from our fans. We call ourselves
the alternative Malayali rock, which means we are different from the normal bands
which are commonly heard. The tracks in our album range from a wide range of political
and social issues and we present the scenario of the world around us, through
folk songs. When
did you start working on the album?
We started working on 2003 and it
took us five long years to come up with this album. Nada Nada is the first video
that we shot and then we produced the album with Phat Phish which took us another
two years.
| The
Nada Nada video has been liked by many viewers, but what is the message the video
is trying to give out?
Nada
Nada means 'keep walking', and the video has too much of head banging. All the
video wants to convey is that everyone should keep walking, no matter what the
situations are around them. Does
Avial have any competitor in the market?
We
do not have market competitors as such in the market. We are the first to come
up with a rock band in Malayalam. And we see the band going far in the near future.
| | |
Wasn’t
it difficult to get a producer for a rock band as we can see Indian producers
are not very inclined to support rock bands?
We
did not have a producer when we shot our first video. Later Phat Phish liked our
work and produced the album for us. This is a reason why we took five years to
come up with the album.
How
did Avial come into existence?
Well,
if a film comes my way, I would be game for it. But then, Bollywood is the kind
of thing wherein you need to be involved in its circle to excel as a composer.
Who
were your inspirations for the rock band?
We listened to rock music from
our childhood - the music of the 70s, 80s and the 90s, which has been an inspiration
for us to come up with a rock band in Malayalam.
What
are your plans for 2008?
We
are looking forward to our live concerts all over the country. We will be performing
live in Delhi on 24 February and on 8 March in Cochin in the Kingfisher rock fest,
where 105 bands will be competing. We also have plans to perform in Mumbai, but
the dates are yet to be decided. So
how long will we have to wait for your next album?
IWell, it won’t
be another five years for sure. We are already done with the lyrics of the next
album and we have worked on the frame work of the album so our fans can expect
the next album in another one and half years. | 
