Sparta Philharmonic calls out the toxic system with post punk rebel rock on "Dignity" in black and white

 

"Christ was brown before we painted him white"

“Dignity” from Sparta Philharmonic is a track for the ages, marking a sadly polarizing time in history in which many of us have had enough. The piece is in protest of George Floyd’s murder, which has reignited a movement that’s been going on for decades and unfortunately has yet to truly change the issue of systemic racism in this country. This should not be polarizing, nor met with disagreement or argument, yet it still is. There should be no question that Black Lives Matter, and that the flawed system should be dismantled and rebuilt for the better. Sparta Philharmonic’s poignant and powerful “Dignity” is their first release in 10 years and together brothers Alex and Greg Bortnichak compose raw and urgent sounds, utilizing their musicianship to bring about change and we are here for it. Listen to “Dignity” and please consider purchasing the track as the proceeds benefit Walter Wallace Jr.’s family, since 1 month ago he was fatally shot by Philadelphia police. Stay vigilant, and stay tuned for SP’s EP “Nature of the Cure” due December 11th.

-Alyssa Holland 

What yr seeing on the streets ain't about one tragedy / Nor a few bad apples among our police/ It's the breaking point after centuries of denying Black Americans their dignity/ If you happen to be white, accept you're immune to systems of oppression built to protect you... I hate to be that guy spouting Voltaire quotes/ But, fuck, it feels like we're nearing the end of our rope, so...

The sovereign's called a tyrant who knows no laws but his caprice... And if that doesn't ring a bell, note that POTUS deployed troops to suppress us protesting police after another unarmed black man died yelling "I can't breathe."

By justice a king brings stability/ But one who makes extractions will ruin it/ And here's another proverb just so we're sure/ A ruler lacking empathy's an oppressor.

Spending lives like poker chips, passing fatal lies as party rhetoric, talk about fake news... where's the proof they're keeping us safe and not just keeping us in our place, we're still slaves to our next paycheck while no one is above the law but our cops and our president, whom we've had to watch debase our founding documents, this isn't freedom, this isn't democracy, this isn't any sentient creator's idea of what life on earth should be / Christ was brown before we painted him white, 60 years passed and still MLK's right, the forces we trusted to serve and protect are taking their loads off on our very necks.

Tardy, yeah, but not too late to make a stand for human dignity... No more silence no more fuel to feed the machines of our cruel history /The sovereign's called a tyrant who knows no laws but his caprice... No is until we all are free / It's about fucking time we reclaim the police.

credits
from Dignity / 45, released November 2, 2020

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Sparta Philharmonic is a music duo formed in Sparta, New Jersey in 2000 by brothers Alex (drums) and Greg Bortnichak (guitar, cello, voice). They have performed across the US in support of various DIY releases, the last of which, (trans)migratory birds (2010), made Jersey Beat Magazine’s top 10 albums of the 2010’s who called it “one of the most original, engaging albums of the decade.”


Sparta Philharmonic is currently based out of the greater Philadelphia area, where the brothers eagerly anticipate a return to global health and well-being following the coronavirus epidemic so they can get back on the road in support of new music.