GOING TO ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL

10:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11, 1999

Julie Antill stood in a corner of the nightclub and winced. A small woman, she appeared buffeted by the raucous beat emitting from the stage area in Jeremiah's.

The floor throbbed. Teen-age fans of the rock band Carp cheered as lead singer Kevin Loyd let loose with a primal roar and launched into "Sick and Tired."

It was exuberant, rhythmic chaos.

Carp is closely tied to Solid State, the band they opened for. West's brother Bryan plays drums for the other band. And 17-year-old drummer Cody Antill's dad, Bob, works with Solid State guitar player Alex Finney.

The two groups regularly "rip" each other in rap lyrics, maintaining a friendly rivalry.

Surrounded by cigarette smoke, swirling lights and fake fog, Loyd wrenched his lyrics out to an enthusiastic crowd.

Julie, Cody's mother, smiled as her husband crouched and took a picture of the band.

She'd been worried because Cody had been ill with the flu, but he insisted on playing and the other band members had begged her to let him.

The music is clearly the teens' life, she said.

Despite being born into the Aerosmith and Rolling Stones generation, she's more a fan of classical music.

And though he provides the throbbing beat for Carp, Cody also appreciates other kinds of music, like pop, salsa and even classical, she said.

"He often uses it to go to sleep by.

Carp is composed of Cape Girardeau natives Antill, Kevin Loyd, 18, Shannon Randol, 19, James West, 18, and Luke Lowes, 20. They have been playing together for about three years.

Lowes, who has a music internship in Nashville, was unable to make the show.

Antill, Loyd and West are seniors at Cape Central High School. Randol and Lowes are students at Southeast Missouri State University.

Bob and Julie Antill like to attend the band's gigs because they like to make sure the teens are in a safe environment. "He's happy to see us here," she said.

She'd like to see more non-bar venues for the high school rockers to play in. "It's a shame Cape doesn't have more places," she said.

Asked if she enjoys her son's music, she replied carefully.

"I try to appreciate that they've done it themselves," she said, but clearly the screaming rock 'n' roll is not to her taste.

"It's not for everybody," Loyd said. "But I think everybody ought to at least give it a try."

He said the band plans to stay together, perhaps all moving to Nashville to cut a CD.

"Someday our music is going to be on the radio and people are going to drop their jaws and cause car accidents because they'll be so shocked," Loyd said. "At least that's what I hope."