Pop song inspired by the eccentric fashion of Tokyo's Harajuku district.

Connie Chen on vocals, Alex Smith on Guitar, Ricky Sanchez on Bass and Dr. Freeze on the skins.

Harajuku Girl

You Stick To Me Like Glue

Acoustic version of the psychedelic classic "Comfort Zone" with Steve Mackereth & Alex Smith.  Drums by Yazeed Nazer.  Produced by Dragan Stojkovski.

Hard-edged folk rocker Steve Mackereth delivers in this new acoustic version of the original psychedelic classic.  Providing a progressive folksy feel, dueling acoustic guitars, rhythmic bass lines and the hickory stick genius of Yazeed Nazer drives the track forward beneath the growl of Mackereth’s compelling baritone.

Comfort Zone

Inspired by the many portrayals of Flora following the Dutch Golden Age, this song features ol' slow-hand Brian Cunningham and Alex Smith on all things strings, with the talented Connie Chen on Vocals and Yazeed Nazer on the hickory sticks, and David Cunningham on keys.  Produced by Dragan Stojkovski.

Pictures in Galleries

A quote attributed to teen-poster-turned-naughty-girl Miley Cyrus is, “A true friend is someone who is always there during the ups and downs; I actually have a song called True Friend.”  Well, she really is a damn good singer we are all probably pleased to hear about her friend status, though to be fair this quote was from the younger, more innocent Miley and Cyrus.  TWA songs can be a tad more sinister and complicated albeit significantly less popular.  Sung by the keen folkster fixture Bert Keith, Twenty Nine Years is no exception on a shady scale of surrender and despair.

While the song generally has a melancholic minor musical progression, Keith’s singing vacillates between contemporary folk and neo progressive rock in some parts.  When he is on top of the world he is vaguely reminiscent of that eons-old one-time hot band Marillion from rural Aylesbury in the UK.  The instrumentation, seemingly by design, is threadbare—mainly one acoustic guitar, gracelessly strummed in a Cobanesque fashion, some oblivious guy having loads of fun with a cranked-up Rickenbacker bass, and the spotty kid next door on the drums.  However, the overall sound is tight, even campy, and while the overused genre is life’s ups and downs, Twenty Nine Years is a fairly big down, but it’s not a downer.

Twenty Nine Years by Two Worlds Apart, with Alex Smith, Bert Keith, and Dragan Stojkovski.

Twenty Nine Years

I think it was Billy Connolly who famously said that Scotsmen only sing about Scotland when they’re far away from home.  Well folk crooner Bert Keith has taken that a bit further and written a gusher of a Christmas song, all about life and the streets of Glasgow and, to the best of my knowledge, he has never been!  Now Glaswegians might think, gonny no dae that, but I would urge them to give this a good listen first.

I have to say, when I hear him chant I do think about wintertime Glasgow, where rain-veneered streets reflect a leeching mix of soft amber and stark white streetlights, and there is a distant echo of a can being kicked inadvertently down some nearby street by a stranger hussling to catch the last bus home.

I believe Bert has played folk music in various pubs in Ireland, but I wouldn’t compare the stark streets of Belfast or the brimful byways of Dublin to the fortitude and grit of Glasgow.  No, if I had to make a comparison to my Scottish hometown I would say it was more like Philadelphia, though with fewer Americans.

Nevertheless, this provenance is no more a stretch than some short Australian playing William Wallace in a County Antrim field.  On a side note, take a look at the foreboding size of William Wallace’s sword in his rock star namesake monument.  Sorry, but no way Mel: Just not plausible.

Confidently reaching for the highs, his liberal legato and relentless retention of those last notes, Bert appears to have captured that authentic pub-enthused croonerism that your Caledonian dad and uncles would indulge in—usually after a few whiskies at any commemorative occasion; with an audience of at least one and devoid of musical accompaniment.  Geez a song Big Yin.

The Glasgow Voyager by Two Worlds Apart.  Lyrics and vocals by Bert Keith, music and guitars by Alex Smith, Keys and percussion by Dragan Stojkovski.

Glasgow Voyager

Bert “Stands With a Fist” Keith creates another solidarity classic in his tribute to working men and women everywhere.  On the back of an upbeat groove, folkster Keith croons “Let me work, you know these hands can work.”  While the world may be turning upside down on who gets employed and who doesn’t, his chant is not about nationalization or globalization.  More essential than politics, more vital than industrialization or automation, it is about application of the human skill, putting to use practiced hands, hands that have been trained for years—through apprenticeship, through mentorship, now prepared for the short span of a human career.  Not to be confused with the current political nationalist fervor, it is a more fundamental ode beyond Walesa or Lenin.

Produced by the brilliant Dragan “Less is More” Stojkovski, who brings out the simple clarity of the music with a paucity of instrumentation, augmented by hammer-like percussion during the breaks, reminiscent of the mechanics of construction.   With Bert Keith on vocals Alex Smith on guitars.

Free My Trade

“Churchill will win,” he yelled irrepressibly after constant taunting by the vicious guards, and in return he swiftly received the most severe beating of his life.  “You don’t do that twice,” he said decades later.  “You quickly learned anger management in the camps.”  After the ocean liner Empress of Asia was attacked by a fleet of nine Japanese dive-bombers in the Banka Strait, Mick G. was one of the fortunate survivors, who was then unfortunate to make his way to Singapore just before it fell to Japan on February 4th, 1942.  Many of those prisoners were conscripted to build the infamous Burma Railway, or Death Railway, as it became known.

A Soul For Every Sleeper by Two Worlds Apart features Steve Mackereth on Vocals, Alex Smith on guitars and Dragan Stojkovski on percussion.

A Soul For Every Sleeper (2017)

A Favorable Juncture of Circumstances

At the crossroads of happenstance, ambition and aspiration one may find opportunity.  While many of us may drive continuously through an eternal grid of indistinguishable meandering roads, most of us never get there.  Some of us may come close, but we either dead-end or get scooped onto the highway to dwell.

Bert Keith realizes this, as for him, opportunity “beckons like a whore.” “Just reach out and take it,” he cries persistently, his voice almost breaking with frustration and sincerity.  Underneath, the bass pumps and drops and the 70s-sounding rock guitars riff haltingly, like a braking locomotive.  “Where do we go from here?” Keith barks.  Where indeed.

Written by Steve Mackereth, Alex Smith and Bert Keith, Opportunity was produced by Dragan “the man” Stojkovski.

Opportunity

Back in the last century, when the human attention span was still quantifiable, it was perfectly normal to watch Hank Marvin and the Shadows perform repetitive instrumental covers on TV at prime time.  Four minutes of a goggle-glassed grinning Hank, carefully picking out Stratocaster notes one at a time, with seemingly way too many other musicians in the background doing something inaudible.  Nonetheless, this guy had a unique sound; you knew when you were hearing Hank.  

	For this new song, Scarlet Sky, I played my beautiful Taylor T5 semi acoustic guitar, or as they call it nowadays, a hollowbody electric, which is otherwise an elegant piece of flamed koa fine furniture with strings.  It’s one of those guitars that seems to dictate how you play, and for me that oddly seems to be a melodic Hank Marvin minus the whammy bar.  However, definitely not in the Shadows, is the bass which has a forward groove like the Chili Pepper’s Flea, and the cans, which are sonically architected here by a rhythmic Dragan Bonham Stojkovski.

	My great friend Steve Mackereth seemingly has developed a real knack for rank and file melody: Mack’s newfound mastery of dark social narrative drives the song insistently from start to finish.  For the conjectural voiceover, our first choice would have been Vincent Price, of course, but we went with the ubiquitous, angry-but-informed Scottish guy.  Anyway, if anyone should ask, this is what the song is about.

Looking at a Scarlet Sky by Steve Mackereth and Alex Smith, produced by Dragan Stojkovski (4.07).  Photography by the intrepid Chris Blackshear.

Looking at a Scarlet Sky

“You didn’t really notice as the flurries turned to whiteout, suddenly you’re snowbound.” You feel as though you’re there, shivering with Steve, as his imposing voice captivates your imagination. “And the cold that seeps into your bones, slowly turns the marrow into stone,” gives me a resonating shudder every time I hear that line.  Metaphorical or not, I think many of us are waiting longingly for a big thaw. Like Steve, we’re hoping that the big thaw is gonna get here soon.

The song is in two parts. Part I is a full-up progressive folk rock endeavor with Steve Mackereth on voice, guitar and haunting mandola, and Alex Smith on methodical piano and exuberant bass. Percussion and production is by the ever-creative Dragan Stojkovski. 

For Part II, Alex hits a few melodic notes here and there on a small nylon-strung guitar, accompanied by a minimal string arrangement, all tightly coordinated and produced by Enter the Dragan.

Photography © the Intrepid Chris Blackshear.

“And the ice that forms within your veins, slows the oxygen that reaches your brain.”

Two Worlds Apart 2018

Big Thaw Part II

“You didn’t really notice as the flurries turned to whiteout, suddenly you’re snowbound.” You feel as though you’re there, shivering with Steve, as his imposing voice captivates your imagination. “And the cold that seeps into your bones, slowly turns the marrow into stone,” gives me a resonating shudder every time I hear that line.  Metaphorical or not, I think many of us are waiting longingly for a big thaw. Like Steve, we’re hoping that the big thaw is gonna get here soon.

The song is in two parts. Part I is a full-up progressive folk rock endeavor with Steve Mackereth on voice, guitar and haunting mandola, and Alex Smith on methodical piano and exuberant bass. Percussion and production is by the ever-creative Dragan Stojkovski. 

For Part II, Alex hits a few melodic notes here and there on a small nylon-strung guitar, accompanied by a minimal string arrangement, all tightly coordinated and produced by Enter the Dragan.

Photography © the Intrepid Chris Blackshear.

“And the ice that forms within your veins, slows the oxygen that reaches your brain.”

Big Thaw Part I

This song is based on Samuel Morse's career as an (excellent) artist and following some controversy as the inventor of the telegraph - using the morse code.  Sounds a bit dull perhaps, but we embedded codes throughout this song in the bass and rhythm to develop it - and it switches between 4 and 5 measure phrases - until the free form solo.  We had a good time with this one.

Art of Communication

Two Worlds Apart is more of a journey than a destination.  We have completed five major projects in the last five years ranging from rock to club/house to verging on classical.  We enjoy pushing boundaries and pushing ourselves but most of all we love to play and we hope you enjoy.  We change some of the members from time to time depending on the requirements of the project - but all are part of the Two Worlds Apart experience.

Two Worlds Apart

Popular tracks