CROATOA
Rock band from Wilmington, NC — bass-driven, loud, and lyric-forward.
Bio
CROATOA formed in 2023 when Jeff Levensailor and Jay Bryant moved back home to Wilmington after stints in Los Angeles and Chicago and started playing together. It wasn't until finding Colin Kern (bass) and a cheap rehearsal space in a dicey part of town was the trio locked in.
"I realized Colin liked the same weird music as us" -Jeff. That music was Harlem, Wavves, Ty Segall and The Pixies. We built our sound as a 3 piece - bass driven, slap back echo on the vocals, verse chorus verse and lots of staccato. Our songwriting process is usually that we record every practice and go from jibberish vocal harmonies to witty, polished lyrics - then add back some of the mumbling.
We practiced weekly for a year next to bands like Weedeater, Tercel, Queens Giant, The Girls, The Sardines and Temp Agency before playing any shows. Since then the band has played Greenfield Lake Yacht Club, Bottega, Waterline, Commodore, Croftons, Reggies, and even on the big stage at Port City Blitz opening for Cool Jerk and Superchunk.
Wilmington has always had talented bands, but the genres were mostly Stoner Metal or Jam Bands. Today there are some really good bands with their own sound: Kicking Bird, Tercel, Cool Jerk and Lawn Enforcement to name a few. Max Agee of Lawn Enforcement was tapped to produce our debut album "Start a Fire", a skill he honed at Berklee School of Music. It was a new venture for us and Max made us feel at home, whether tracking from his bedroom at his parents house or his new backyard studio. We've been playing most of these songs for over a year and just wanted to get them laid down properly so we can move on to writing.
CROATOA's next gig is on May 16th with Charlotte bands "Warp Street" and "Squirt Vile" at Dram Tree Tavern.
Booking
For all booking and live inquiries — festivals, rooms, collabs, film, weird ideas — email the desk:
Include dates, city, venue type, lineup, and a link to your favorite CROATOA track so we know you mean it.