Look Out in ‘93: 11 Locals to Watch

E clecticism is the keyword among the top 1992 freshmen of Southern California, where rap and retro, grunge and industrial, escapism and confrontation all coexist in a happily active melting pot. Here’s a look at the 11 new area acts who have made the biggest splash this year:

Drive Like Jehu and Rocket From the Crypt: Two San Diego bands that share a member and a new big-bucks deal with Jimmy Iovine’s Interscope Records, Jehu and Rocket both play aggressive alternative guitar rock, the former with chaotic frenzy, the latter with a more song-oriented hard-rock approach.

Half Way Home: With a blues-based sound sometimes calling to mind Big Brother & the Holding Company (thanks largely to the powerful alto of singer Jennifer Barry), this neo-hippie quartet has drawn the attention of both a legion of young Deadheads and Geffen Records executive Tom Zutaut, who signed the band. A debut album for the label is due in January.