Benefit Performances for Restoration of Shuri Castle

Okinawa Americana

Benefit performances by Okinawa Americana from Okinawa will be held this month for the restoration of Shuri Castle, which was recently destroyed by fire.

The schedule is as follows:

Shuri Castle

Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 7:30 p.m. at Habuya Okinawa Dining, 14215 Red Hill Ave., Tustin. Dinner reservation required; $25 minimum per person. (714) 832-3323

Friday, Nov. 22, at 7:30 p.m. at Spirit Lutheran Church, 2706 W. 182nd St., Torrance. $10 general admission; $5 for Okinawa Association of America members. RSVP required. (310) 532-1929, http://tinyurl.com/shuribenefit

Saturday, Nov. 23, at 6:30 p.m. at Bob’s Hawaiian Style Restaurant, 15926 S. Western Ave., Gardena. Dinner reservation required. (310) 515-2250

Internationally recognized recording artists and musicians David Ralston and Merry Gushi have created their own brand of music, self-described as “Okinawa Americana music.” Integrating influences from Japan to Brazil to America’s heartland, world music to blues, country, folk, and roots rock, they successfully illustrate that “the world of music is not just changing, it has changed.”

Whether performing as an acoustic duo or with a full band and traditional Eisa dancers, prepare your imagination for a magically soulful, bluesy, rockin’ show that audiences are guaranteed to remember.

Ralston and Gushi released “Okinawa Americana” worldwide in 2017, as a follow-up to their “East West” collaboration. Recorded in Los Angeles, Nashville, and Awaji, Japan, the album blends Ralston’s American blues with Gushi’s Okinawan traditional Japanese folk and world music style.“Okinawa Americana” also features world-class musicians, including Phil Chen (Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck), Dave Roe (Johnny Cash), and Mark T. Jordan (Carpenters, Bonnie Raitt).​

For more information, visit http://okinawaamericana.com.