This holiday season, Rum Ragged will release their long-anticipated holiday album, All The Bells and Wassails via LHM Records. True to the band’s reputation, this collection is more than seasonal entertainment—it is a cultural document, grounding the holiday spirit in Newfoundland and Labrador’s centuries-old traditions of song, storytelling, and community.

Rather than adopting the gloss of a conventional Christmas record, Rum Ragged reach back into the seasonal customs of the North Atlantic. The album takes its name from the centuries- old practice of wassailing—an act of gathering, singing, and sharing drink to foster goodwill through the darkest days of the year. The group’s interpretations draw on carols and melodies that travelled across oceans with immigrants to Newfoundland and Labrador, reshaped over generations in outport kitchens and parish halls.

The arrangements are at once meticulous and authentic. Fiddle, bouzouki, and bodhrán echo the instrumentation of festive gatherings past, while the band’s layered harmonies evoke the communal quality of neighbours lifting their voices together. This is music that captures the continuity of cultural memory—seasonal songs as they were carried forward, lived, and celebrated. Yet the album is not bound by nostalgia alone. Rum Ragged infuses each track with vitality, underscoring how tradition remains alive and dynamic. There is reverence, but also the joy of performance: the energy of a band deeply embedded in their heritage, translating it for audiences both at home and abroad.

All The Bells and Wassails is not simply a holiday soundtrack. It is a reflection of how music sustains community, offering light, warmth, and continuity across generations. In sharing these songs, Rum Ragged reminds us that the holidays are as much about cultural inheritance as celebration—voices carried forward, bells ringing through time.

Come gather, sing, and share a drink with us at The Garrick and celebrate the holidays with Rum Ragged!

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