Battle of the Bands
Enjoy great live music and support MCC in the process! Participate in the Battle of the Bands both Friday and Saturday by supporting the bands performing at the Heritage Park Stage. Which band can raise the most money for MCC during its 45-minute set? See band bios below.
Schedule
Friday, Sept. 25
6 pm Lost Luggage
7 pm Jeremy Kempf Band
8 pm The Dawg
Saturday, Sept. 26
9 am TBD
9:45 am Sweet Pea Three
11 am Shiny Shiny Black
Bands
Lost Luggage
Lost Luggage, a vibraphone-fueled jazz quartet, has been entertaining Elkhart County fans for nearly a decade with their tight musicianship, versatility and Latin Jazz inspired sound. The band formed as a trio in 2017, with Kenneth Craig (vibraphone), Deron Bergstresser (drums) and Kent Dutchersmith (bass). They added Ben Good-Elliott on saxophone in 2024.
The group released their first album, Carrion Items, in 2023, with original compositions inspired by a blue heron, a funky duck, a jazz chicken, and Goshen’s own Goshen Brewing Company.
Friday 6 pm
Jeremy Kempf Band
Get ready for a fun-filled evening of music with The Jeremy Kempf Band! Jeremy brings uplifting, award-winning original songs shaped by years of writing and leading music for the Anabaptist church, including at MennoCon. Come celebrate faith, community, and great music. Jeremy will be performing with Neil Richer, David Kempf, Ron Kilmer, and Talia Kempf..
Friday 7 pm
Saturday 9 am
TBD
This artist will be announced soon.
Saturday 9:45 am
Sweet Pea Three
Formed in 2024 for the Michiana Relief Sale soundstage, Sweet Pea Three brings a mix of original music and innovative acoustic covers spanning ten decades of pop, Americana, jazz and old-time favorites. The close harmony vocals of band members Katie Miller O’Leary (fiddle), Dale Kempf (finger-style guitar and banjo) and Randy Horst (upright bass) please the ears and touch the emotions of the listener.
The Dawg
Friday 8 pm
The Dawg Band is an acoustic Americana trio that draws songs from bluegrass and country, to folk and gospel, and even the Great American Songbook. They're known for their tight vocal harmonies backed by guitar, mandolin, and bass. Its three members are Duane Gundy, Jim Shenk, and Randy Horst.
Shiny Shiny Black
Saturday 11 am
Shiny Shiny Black is the project of Goshen, Indiana husband and wife songwriters Nate and Amber Butler — a duo whose self-described “coffeehouse rock and roll” creates space for people to feel genuinely at home. Their music is warm enough for a quiet room and alive enough to fill it: classic guitar tones, close vocal harmonies, and songs that hold complexity without heaviness. Nate’s songs lean toward warmth and forward motion; Amber’s toward reflection and depth. Together they cover more emotional ground than either could alone.
Their 2023 album Reverberations won Folk Album and Folk Single of the Year at Indiana’s 2025 Naptones Music Awards. “Reverie” was a 2024 IAMA Finalist. Behind the music, they co-founded Nimble Wit Productions — whose clients include HarperCollins, Magnolia Network, and artists on Sony and New West Records.