Hood Baby and the Barnacles won the right to open for Friday’s Bulldog Bash at Music Maker’s Presents’ annual Battle of the Bands on Thursday in Lee Hall.
This year’s Bulldog Bash is expected to have about 35,000 attendees. The Bash  is free with no minimum age requirements.
Six local bands competed in this year’s battle.
Allie Nichols, artists relations chair of Music Makers Presents and a junior from Gulfport said this year’s Battle of the Bands was a great success. 
“We had a diverse lineup of local bands,” said Nichols. “I think Hood Baby and the Barnacles will do a great opening on the Bash stage.”
This year’s Bulldog Bash, which is the largest free outdoor concert in our state, is mixing it up a little.
For the first the first time ever, the event will not be held in the Cotton District. Instead, it will be held in Downtown Starkville, at the corner of Main and Jackson streets.
Bulldog Bash kicks off at 2 p.m. on Friday with the Maroon Market, an event featuring lines of vendors selling local art and culinary treats.
The Maroon Market will end at 6 p.m. when Hood Baby and the Barnacles takes the stage.
“Playing Bash is a dream come true,” said Chase Carlton, the band’s drummer. “Ever since I started playing drums, I always imagined playing on the big stage for thousands of people. Now that dream is finally a reality.”
Hood Baby and the Barnacles is a Starkville based band whose music features rock, soul and funk.
“We’re still in shock, but we’re excited to play,” said Ronnie Bullock, the band’s lead singer. “I’ve wanted to do something of this caliber for as long as I can remember. This group is the reason I wake up in the morning every day. Playing with them is truly an honor.”
Some students might have seen the group play at Rick’s Cafe in the past, including a recent concert where the group opened for the 2016 Battle of the Bands’ winner, Jake Slinkard & Co.
Garret Carver, Hood Baby’s bass player, said being a part of the group is very rewarding.
“I’ve been a gigging musician for over half a decade now, and I can absolutely say that this is the best project I’ve ever been a part of,” Carver said. “I think you can really feel that we have something special going on.”
Wes Toner, guitarist for Hood Baby and the Barnacles, said he could not be more excited for the opportunity winning Battle of the Bands provided his band with.
“It’s incredible that we’ve been able to find this kind of chemistry after such a short amount of time playing together,” Toner said. “It’s only been a handful of weeks, and the music comes out so organically.” 
After Hood Baby and the Barnacles play, bands Vinyl Theater and Elliott Root will play before DNCE, the Bulldog Bash headliners. 
Vinyl Theater, an indie rock band from Wisconsin, recently toured with Twenty-One Pilots, while Elliott Root is an alternative band from Nashville, Tennessee with a new album.
DNCE, a dance-rock band fronted by Joe Jonas, is expected to take the stage at 7 p.m.