The year 2017 was the birth of North Carolina’s breakout boy band, Weston Estate. The band was born right here in Raleigh, with all five members (Srikar Nanduri, Manas Panchavati, Tanmya Joshi, Abhi Manhass, and Marco Gomez) being Wake County high school graduates who have since pursued their passion for music as a group. The boys started the band as a fun way to unwind after a stressful week of high school, but it quickly escalated to something unique, something with substance. They quickly realized the potential they held as a group, and have been running with it ever since—and the pandemic hasn’t slowed them down!

Singer-songwriter Manas Panchavati explains that before quarantine, the band was already working remotely in a way, as they all had busy schedules due to college and it was difficult to find time to meet: “I would say that we actually have more time to meet up now [than before quarantine] because all our classes are online, and we all have our own apartments so it’s easy to just go over, be loud, and make music.” 

Regarding new music, Manas says, “We’ve come up with a couple of new songs, but I will say that quarantine is kind of a depressing time. It kills your creativity in a way. As of now, our priority has been working on old, unfinished songs.”

Quarantine isn’t the only time Weston Estate has found the silver lining of a less-than-ideal situation. Even before the pandemic, they were separated by their colleges, with their members being spread out between Duke, UNC, and NC State. It may seem like this would make things more difficult, but Manas says it’s actually good for the band. He explains that it gives them a lot of reach, especially with how unique each of the campuses are, and that they make the most of that. It’s a perspective that would never occur to some people, and just goes to show how adaptable the band is. 

Another testament to their versatility are their sources of musical inspiration—Manas cites everything from past experiences or relationships, to his mood when he sits down to write a song, to other people’s music as the driving force behind his songwriting. 

And here’s some inspiration from Manas himself, for all you aspiring musicians out there: “Keep pushing, keep writing. Never stop writing. It’s really easy to get yourself down if you have a bad idea, but if you get yourself through those lows, you’ll find your highs.”

Weston Estate has surely found many highs during their time in quarantine. During a period that can be especially suppressive to creativity, the band has managed to keep their creative minds churning by simply staying optimistic. They have continued with old material, mustered up new material, and even managed to drop a new song on Spotify. They participated in a virtual event over quarantine, pre-recording their performance to be streamed on Youtube for a charity event, but the band was clear to say that performing was not their priority at the moment, “We’re really trying to put out new music and work on new songs.” And the band is doing just that: one recording file at a time. 

Be sure to follow them on Instagram and Twitter for updates!