Whether live or in the studio, Witiko is an all encompassing experience. Built on lifelong bonds and musical chemistry between its four members, the band has honed in an expansive sound that seamlessly transports listeners from the abrasiveness of grunge to the warmth of surf across the course of a setlist. Screaming riffs act as portals into a lyrical whirlwind of existential dread, spiritual clarity, and the socio-political implications of Indigeneity and colonialism. Métis martyr Louis Riel once said, “my people will sleep for 100 years, but when they awake, it will be the artists who give them their spirit back” — Witiko has emerged to end the century of sleep with feedback, fervour, and noise.

The band played extensively around the Vancouver area throughout 2024 and released their debut LP, A Century of Sleep, in November of the same year. Self-recorded and produced, the record solidified the group as a staple in the local scene. Shortly after, in January 2025, a music video for the album single “Alright” was released online, directed by Jasmine McRae. Later that year, Witiko’s song “Land Back” was featured in the short film The Fourth World Problems Collective (dir. Kira Doxtator), an adaptation of Mississauga Nishnaabeg author Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s short story “Plight.” The film premiered at the 2025 ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Festival in Toronto. In April 2026, Witiko embarked on their first tour, playing a string of shows across Vancouver Island. The band is set to re-enter the studio in 2026, to record and release their second full length record later in the year.

Witiko is Josh McKenna (vocals & guitar), Lucas Grabi (drums), Luke Bidulka (guitar), and Walter Sawan (bass).

Based on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples in so-called “vancouver, bc.”