By Milan Polk ’16

Exit 216 came together three years ago at the Treehouse School of Music in Fulton, where Sherwood senior Dani Banda learned to sing and play guitar. There, she and her friends Jonas Lee (guitarist), Justin Alexander (bassist) and Jon Thompson (drummer) started Exit 216. Their first show was at Looney’s Pub and Bar in Maple Lawn.

The band has played many venues, including coffee shops. For a while the group played at quiet establishments, until they started performing at places like Oakdale Emory Coffeehouse and Sandy Spring Museum, which were much more like concert venues rather than eateries. “They weren’t much like coffeehouses, like we experienced before; more like shows,” Banda said.

The band has played all over Maryland, and has even played at the Fillmore in Silver Spring. Banda says Exit 216’s popularity can be attributed to the variety of venues they play. “Since we have played many places, we actually get a lot of publicity,” she explained. “Then that’s when people come up to us and ask us for our information because they’d like to schedule shows for us.” Once Banda finishes participating in Rock n’ Roll, the band is scheduled to play at Growler’s Bar in Gaithersburg.

Being in a band in high school can present challenges. “It’s not as convenient for us to get together outside of Treehouse,” said Banda. “We all go to different schools and Jonas and I live like 50 minutes away from each other.” Despite the difficulties, Banda says she could never see herself playing with anyone else.

Banda plans on attending Shippensburg College in Pennsylvania but hopes to release an album with Exit 216 before she graduates. Exit 216 can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.