Countdown to Battle #2: Exit 181

Exit 181 at The Office Bar and Night Club in Crystal City. 

Come out to Sun Valley Jams on Saturday, and you will forever be able to say, "Hey, I saw Exit 181 when they were just starting out."

The quartet is based a mile north of Exit 180 on Interstate 55 -- which, by the way, is the one you'll want to use to get to the Battle of the Bands. (Or if you're coming from the other direction, get off at Exit 185.)

These guys haven't been together long: They just played their first gig in April, and they haven't even had time to release their first CD yet. But it has been recorded, and the band plans a release party in Arnold in a couple of weeks.

Exit 181 plays, according to its Facebook page, "a bed of rockin' originals with some classic rock covers to keep the feet warm." You can also follow the band on Twitter and buy their songs at Bandcamp. Here is the band's Soundcloud playlist: