Doomed Confessionary: Sophie Steff (Yojimbo)
Photos by Paola Guigou
Hailing from Strasbourg, France, self-proclaimed intergalactic stoner rock quartet Yojimbo has gave its first cries in the spring of 2019.
Their first self-produced eponymous EP was released in 2022, hailed enthusiastically by the specialized press. Yojimbo pursues his journey with a promotional tour where it shares the stage with bands such as IAH, Geezer or Baron Crâne.
Can you say a few words about your band?
Yojimbo is an intergalactic stoner rock band from Strasbourg (France), composed by Sophie Steff (guitar/vox), Florent Herrbach (guitar), Stefan Legrand (drums) & Dominique Pichard (bass). We’re playing since 2019 and we’ve released an EP in 2022. Our music is a mix between floydian accents, catchy stoner grooves, abyssal invocations of doom and the spatiality of post-rock.
What was the biggest challenge for the band last year?
In January, we changed our line-up and we welcomed our new member Dominique Pichard. We’ve never played with a bassist before (former member Aurélien Schreiber was playing with a Baryton) and that was obviously missing in Yojimbo. We had to readapt all our songs with Dom, and now can say that it sounds louder than ever!
What can you be most proud of last year?
We worked a lot. Really a lot. We’ve made three artistic residencies to improve our show, we were on rehearsal 15 hours a week since September, we’ve worked with at least 10 local artists to realize our promotional stuff (photos, live session, visuals) and merchandising (prints, t-shirts, engravings). Last year marks a new step for Yojimbo and we can’t wait to reach the next one!
What was your biggest regret?
We would have loved to release a new EP but it was too short in time to do something good. We’ve preferred to take our time to work on something we will be proud of!
What was the best concert/tour last year and why?
We had the chance to support Villagers Of Ioannina City at La Laiterie (Strasbourg) and it was such an honor to share the stage with these incredibles musicians. The concert was sold out and the public gave us the warmest welcoming we could have.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
We were amazed by three bands with whom we shared the stage. The French band Deadmen which is playing a dark and loud post-core, the Argentine band NAUfRAgE with their stunning post-rock and the instrumental psychedelic prog rock of TFNRSCH from Germany. You should give them a listen!
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Next shows confirmed are in France:
January 19th at l’Univers – Dijon (21)
February 7th at La Fabrique Des Grô – Maxéville (54)
March 30th at Le Millenium – Haguenau (67)
What are your plans for this year as a band? What do you personally want the most?
The next step is to release a second EP with new stuff that we are impatient to share with the world!
We also hope to reach our public by playing in festivals dedicated to stoner rock music, like the Freak Valley in Germany or Rock in Bourlon in France!
How can people best support your band?
The best way to support us is to follow us on our social networks and listen to our music! It seems to be a mainstream recommandation, but a lot of promoters will first check out at how many followers a band has even before listening to their music, and maybe schedule a concert… And of course, come to see us live! 😀
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Keep going to concerts to discover and support local bands because they need it much more than you could imagine.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well