Here’s a few upcoming shows that you might wanna check out:

The Slants, The DTSS, Patterns – Slabtown, March 8. The Slants are a group of local guys (and one gal) who are doing PDX proud and quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with on a national level. After the show on March 8, they’re embarking on a long tour that will take them all over the U.S., as well as a couple of stops in Asia and the UK. Despite being snubbed in a bizarre (and in my opinion, unfair and uncomfortably-racially-tinged) piece in the Merc, the Slants keep on truckin’. They play some pretty rockin’ synth-pop, to boot. Check ’em out.

Street Dogs – Roseland Theater, April 9. Yeah, Anti-Flag is headlining this gig. No matter. Go for the Street Dogs (and stay for Anti-Flag, if you like). Fronted by ex-Dropkick Murphy’s frontman Mike McColgan, Street Dogs are yet another reason why Boston street-punk kicks ass. In the tradition of the Murphy’s and Darkbuster, the music is written by and for salt-of-the-earth types. Like the Murphy’s, Street Dogs perform songs with left-leaning lyrics about unions and keeping your head above the fray, but for my money, the Dogs do it better. Their lyrics manage to be thought-provoking, incendiary, and uplifting all at the same time. It’s tough NOT to feel like you can change the world after hearing songs like “Not Without a Purpose”. The Street Dogs provide punk rock with the political kick in the ass that it’s needed for a long time. These guys are the real deal. Go see ’em. You can read all about ’em and hear some of their songs by going here.

Doro Pesch is playing Satyricon on April 5. You can be forgiven if you don’t know who Doro is. She fronted the German metal band Warlock back in the 80s, and went solo afterwards. Doro is the female Ronnie James Dio. Like Dio, she’s been around forever, has a wicked set of pipes, and has never strayed from her metal roots. Like Dio, her music is also a little bit cheesy – but (again, like Dio) she presents the cheesyness with such sincerity and a good intentions that you can’t help but seeing it as a virtue rather than a vice. Doro is still packing halls in Europe, and to the best of my knowledge, Doro has NEVER played Portland (but I could be wrong on that). Seeing her in a venue as intimate as Satyricon should be quite a treat.

On the topic of girls that rock, the Iron Maidens will be playing Dante’s on February 29 for a measly ten bucks (eight bucks if you purchase tickets in advance). If you like heavy metal even just a little bit, you cannot miss these gals. The pedigree is impressive – their bass player has played with the L.A. philharmonic, their singer has toured with Clarence Clemons, one of the guitar players trained with metal-icon Alex Skolnic. And they nail the whole Maiden mystique – theatrical metal about death and mayhem with tongue planted firmly in cheek. If you can’t afford the real thing (Iron Maiden is playing White River in June) or White River is too far to drive, the Iron Maidens are more than a suitable substitute. Hell, you should go see ’em anyway.