Internationally known harmonica ace Kim Field returns to the Waterfront Blues Festival as the host of the annual Harmonica Blowoff. Field has assembled an all-star bill of harmonica wizards, including Hank Shreve, RJ Mischo, and Joel Astley, all backed up by Field’s world-class band, the Perfect Gentlemen.

During his long career, Kim Field has appeared on bills with such rhythm and blues legends as Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Cray, and more. He has appeared at the San Francisco Blues Festival, in New York City’s Central Park, at Portland’s Waterfront Blues Festival, at the Winthrop Rhythm and Blues Festival, and at Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival, where he was a featured performer seven years running. He performs regularly in the Pacific Northwest with his band the Perfect Gentlemen.

Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Hank Shreve began playing the harmonica at the age of eight. Shreve won the Northwest Harmonica Championship in 2008 and the Cascade Blues Association’s Muddy Award for Best Harmonica in 2009 and 2013. Hank has shared stages with delta-blues legend Honeyboy Edwards, Merle Haggard, and among many others. He performs regularly with the Hank Shreve Band, which has won five Muddy Awards.

RJ Mischo has been touring the world for over two decades as a singer, harmonica player, and bandleader. His soulful original songs “King of a Mighty Good Time” and “Two Hours From Tulsa” both reached number one on the blues playlist at Sirius XM Radio. In addition to fronting his own band, Mischo has toured with blues legends such as Pinetop Perkins, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Jimmy Thackery, and Junior Watson.

Since forming his first band in 2014, Joel Astley has quickly earned a national reputation as an outstanding harmonica player, vocalist, and songwriter. Astley has won awards from the Washington Blues Society for Best Blues Harmonica, Best Male Vocalist, and Best Songwriter. When he is not touring with blues legends like Johnny Burgin, Astley fronts his own band and works with the T-Town Aces and the High Note Group.