B. Hamilton is a power trio from Oakland, California. The band comprises primary songwriter, vocalist, and guitar player Ryan Christopher Parks, drummer/engineer Raj Kumar Ojha (Once and Future Band, The Shannon Shaw Band), and new bassist Ian Miller (Kowloon Walled City). Parks’ low-tuned snarling guitar can be heard throughout the 2017 movie “Sorry to Bother You,” on the song “OYAHYTT,” which he wrote with writer/director Boots Riley and LaKeith Stanfield. The band’s new self-titled LP was released on March 21.
“Wherever I Go” is the soulful outro to the band’s latest LP. The heartfelt ballad is an emotional closer to a vulnerable album that blends psychedelic undertones with infectious pop melodies and simplistic yet potent songwriting. Parks’s lyrics in “Wherever I Go” carry a powerful sentiment of loving reassurance, unthinkingly following love wherever it may take you. Parks archives such emotional depth with so few words, adding a poetic touch to the soaring arrangement. Searing guitar melodies and acrobatic horns help create a chaotic yet warm canvas for the moving songwriting. B. Hamilton’s approach to love-driven balladry is a refreshing take on an old tradition. The band blends their pop influences with warping psychedelia for a uniquely exciting piece of modern indie rock. “Wherever I Go” is a touching ode to the memories that keep us connected to people who may not be around anymore while simultaneously showcasing B. Hamilton’s songwriting prowess and the palpable chemistry within the band.
“The new record is about grief. Grief from my father’s death in 2017 from a pretty gnarly battle with brain cancer,” explains the band. “Grief from 36 people who left the earth on the night of December 2nd, 2016, and simultaneously left an entire community decimated and distraught. And Grief from a previous life that was probably robbed from all of us when the Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert touched all those microphones at his press conference in March of 2020.”
“‘Wherever I Go’ is the final song on the record and an acknowledgment that grief will always be with you in some form,” continues the band. The previous songs deal with grief, and ‘Wherever I Go’ is an epilogue. A conclusion.”
