Pride on the Riverfront

Cali Wilson is a singer/songwriter based in Nashville, TN, originally from Mount Pleasant, IA.

Music has been a major part of her life, growing up listening to her mother sing, she quickly gained an appreciation for all genres of music and began teaching herself guitar at 16, influenced by Missy Higgins, Kacey Musgraves, Brandi Carlile, and Amy Winehouse.

Cali was featured on Radio Lia's nationally popular radio show as one of the Top 4 in the Big Break contest, released her first EP titled Love and War in October of 2016, and in 2019, made it to the Top 13 on NBC's The Voice where she performed live in front of millions on national tv, while being mentored by Taylor Swift, Darius Rucker, and Blake Shelton.

The dirtiest, flirtiest, draggiest biatch this side of the Mississippi homegrown right here in Burlington, IA.

Drawing from an array of influences ranging from hip-hop, indie-pop, to pop-punk, August Gonzalez refuses to be put into a box.

Whether it was collecting albums from artists like Green Day and Chiodos to Tupac and Kid Cudi, or writing parody songs and rap battling in school, August’s passion for music has been a significant presence in her life from an early age. In college she would discover the music-making program GarageBand and learn how to record herself, playing her freestyles and beats for anyone that would listen.

However, struggles with her identity and belief in her own ability would lead the Iowa native to being discouraged from making music through her early twenties. It wasn’t until 2018 that she would again be inspired by Logic’s “Freestyle Fridays”. Breaking a few years long hiatus, August began posting a freestyle of her own once a month on social media for two years, to positive feedback.

Then, in 2019, after getting a taste of the music business from a year-long stint at an independent record label, she decided to take the next step in her career.

Shortly before her first studio session with Brendan Carper (Five AM, LOVESBLIND) at the help as producer, her friend and former co-working Alicia reached out about a song they had written during their time at the label. This led to more songs co-written and then a project together called Ali & August, with their first EP “Vibes” released in September 2021, marking the first time August had made any of her music available for streaming.

Now August’s focus is on her solo work, which has started with critical acclaim.

The music video for her first single “SEE TMRW” (featuring Jay Wetterling of Manhattan Blockade) received nominations for Cinematography and Editing (Short Form) at the Iowa Motion Picture Association Awards, winning an Award of Achievement in the latter category.

When asked about what the future means for her art: “…I want to create all types of music and work with different artists and just make magic together. Music is therapy for me, and I want to be able to share that with the world.”

With her upcoming pop-punk EP, “Anxious FM” set to release in 2023, she hopes to accomplish that goal!

A rock n roll band from South East Iowa here to fuck shit up.

Mackenzie Blackhall (she/her/hers) serves as Program Coordinator for the 988 LGBTQI+ Youth suicide prevention line, where she leads critical work supporting young people in this community who are experiencing a crisis. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stout with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Mackenzie has dedicated her professional career to youth drug prevention and crisis intervention work.

Since beginning her counseling career in 2022, Mackenzie has found deep fulfillment in meeting people where they are and helping them navigate through some of life's most challenging moments. She was drawn to the 988 LGBTQI+ Youth subnetwork because of the specialized services it provides to young people who face incredibly unique challenges. As a leader on her line, she takes pride in helping her Shift Leads and Crisis Counselors better connect with this vulnerable population and empower help-seekers to find ways to stay safe while they face these challenges. This passion for helping others has been a constant throughout her life, driving her to seek opportunities where she can make the greatest positive impact.

On the 17th of this month, the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) informed all centers providing crisis services under the 988 LGBTQI+ Youth subnetwork that they would not be able to continue services after July 17th of this year. A decision that will place barriers around our youth getting access to much-needed specialized care. 

Mackenzie is speaking on the importance of this specialized line and explore ways that we can band together and show that we demand this line remain open to one of our most vulnerable yet resilient populations!

When she's not managing the 988 subnetwork, Mackenzie enjoys spending quality time with her husband, daughter, and fur babies.

More information coming soon