After 10 long years, the very first Bog Iron album has finally been found! Well, it wasn’t entirely lost–but we couldn’t any one with an actual physical copy–AND we couldn’t even find any one with a complete set of MP3s–AND furthermore, thEchoes front covere original studio where this was recorded was (sadly) closed permanently a couple of years ago and no masters exist for the original recordings.

So what DID we have? Well, roughly 11 years ago John Michael (our glorious vocalista) recorded an album of 18-19 tracks of traditional (-ish) Irish music, an album of tunes in tribute to his homeland but done with his own Freddie Mercury-esque twist. Not all the tracks during the Franklin Street Studios sessions made it to the final album. What remained were left to linger in obscurity on various CD-Rs as “rough cuts” or “needs drums” or any number of unfinished mixes and edits.

So…come time to remaster and re-release for our 10th anniversary, we need those tracks. ALL of them. Including the ones from the actual album, not just the unreleased tracks. But what we have are three CDs of unfinished mixes (not masters, not individual instruments, or isolated vocals–just rough stereo mixes of everything.) Some of the tracks didn’t have drums; many tracks were missing finished guitar leads. Not much to be done about the drums (which was just as well–the drum-less tracks are stripped down, acoustic numbers that allows John’s vocals to really soar.) As for guitar leads…well, that was easy enough. Several tracks were augmented (or “sweetened,” as our guitarist likes to say) with new guitar solos; some were enhanced with additional backing guitars. All the tracks were re-EQ’d, recompressed, and remastered (as much as could be done without actual masters!). They now sound like their final versions, with some “sweetening” here and there. And so finally we have it! And now…it’s available EVERYWHERE!

17 tracks, 74+ minutes of music — INCLUDING SEVERAL PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS!

ECHOES FROM THE CLIFFS OF MOHER (10th Anniversary Reissue)
Originally recorded in 2007 and 2008 at Franklin Street Studios in Monterey, ECHOES began as a solo acoustic effort by John Michael, who wanted to create an album of traditional songs from his native homeland of Ireland. The addition of a full band came later in the recording process, with some of the Bay Area’s best local talent: Chris Burke (bass), Tim Burke (drums), Paul Shepard (electric guitars), Patrick R. Golden (electric guitars), and John Michael himself (all vocals, acoustic guitar.)A band was formed in support of the album: the Bog Iron Boys, featuring most of the original musicians who had been in the studio with John. After several months of well-received gigs, and a significant line-up change, the Bog Iron Boys became simply… Bog Iron. And the rest is history.

1. Black Velvet Band
2. Jug of Punch
3. Foggy Dew**
4. Echoes from the Cliffs of Moher*
5. Go Lassie Go**
6. Finnegan’s Wake**
7. Whiskey in the Jar
8. Tell Me Ma
9. The Wild Rover**
10. Spancil Hill
11. Haul Away Joe
12. My Lagan Love
13. The Spanish Lady**
14. The Leaving of Liverpool**
15. Carrickfergus
16. She Moved Through the Fair
17. Peggy Gordon**

Originally Recorded at Franklin St Studios 2007-2008
Engineered by James Chatterton
© 2008-2018, John Michael/Bog Iron
www.BogIron.Rocks
Arranged by John Michael except*
Written by John Michael, Paul Shepard, & Barbara Sherkus
Remastered at Blood Crow Studios
2018 Reissue produced by Patrick R. Golden
**Add’l guitar sweetening by Patrick R. Golden
Distributed by Piscean Creed Media/Distrokid