Joe Gorka

With his keenly observant lyrics and blend of dynamic guitar and piano work, Chicago-based singer-songwriter Joe Gorka has made a name for himself in the Midwest music scene. He has played such well-loved Chicago rooms such as Schubas Tavern, City Winery, and Uncommon Ground, along with venues and festivals across the region. 2025 saw the release of his debut solo acoustic EP “Evergreen”, as well as increasing national attention with his selection to the 2025 “Emerging Artist” showcase at Connecticut’s Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. In 2026 he will be playing shows across the country while completing production of his debut full-length album, due out in the fall.

Colin Cutler

Colin Cutler is a Greensboro, North Carolina-based singer-songwriter, folk musician, poet, and storyteller toting a banjo and guitar. Whether solo or with his band, Hot Pepper Jam, he is a wide-ranging performer whose musical roots draw from the breadth of American folk music—from Appalachian oldtime to blues to gospel to country to rock’n’roll—to form what No Depression has described as “one magnificent tapestry of roots music.”

While his first few albums were directly inspired by his background in oldtime music, his most recent effort was even more ambitious and electric. Tarwater was inspired by both life and the earthy characters of Georgia author Flannery O’Connor, achieving “…a juke joint energy coursing through it and a humidity that seems to sweat out the sins and the booze that these characters are often soaked in” (Paste).

The 2022 Winner of the Susquehanna Folk Festival’s Emerging Artists Competition, the last couple years have seen Cutler playing across the Southeast, with appearances at Merlefest, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, the North Carolina Folk Festival, Antlers and Acorns Songwriters Festival, and the Carolina Bible Camp Bluegrass Festival.

Iguana Music Fund

The Iguana Music Fund is an annual grant program predominantly funded by generous anonymous donors, plus the help of Passim, sponsorships, and community donations. Each year the Iguana Music Fund gives approximately $40,000 in grants to individual artists in amounts from $500 to $2,000 each. Grants are used for projects and expenses to aid in artists’ career growth, and range from recording projects to community programs to specialized equipment or instruments.

Nine Athens Music

Since 2012, Nine Athens Music has provided resources to the musicians, venues and events which make up the New England music scene. We work alongside artists, providing free services aimed at helping them develop their careers and facilitate the creative process through better branding, networking, and financial support for their projects. Through our partnership with Club Passim, Nine Athens Music strives to bring undiscovered Folk music directly to the fans who want to hear it most.

Chuck Honnet is the founder of Nine Athens Music, dedicated to the discovery, encouragement and support of local musicians, venues and events – all focused on his love of Folk, Americana/Roots, bluegrass, and celtic music.