Touring can be tough at the best of times, but even more so when crossing borders into other countries. It’s a daunting task of passports, visas and paperwork, not to mention the cost of making it all happen, which is why when Edmonton-based prog quartet Portal decided to play a few shows in the United States, they chose a simpler path, even though it still took about four months of planning.

“We knew that if the U.S. border had any evidence that we were making money on our trip, we would need a visa, so we set up our shows as “showcases” and refused payment for the show itself,” said bassist Kevin Hoskin, who has been part of the group since its inception in 2001 along with co-founder, vocalist/guitarist Kenton Thomas. Drummer Bill George and guitarist/back-up vocalist Ross Brooks round out the band.

“We’d been down to Portland, Ore. a few years ago, and had no trouble at the border. Coming back into Canada, we were advised that we should have an inventory of all our gear so they know we didn’t just buy a bunch of stuff in the U.S., so we had that covered,” he stated.

This time, things proved a little more challenging for the band that got their name from a random word generator on the Internet.

“Despite the fact that we were playing for free, the letter of the rule states that if anyone at all is making money from us being there, we need a visa. They literally called the venue, found out there was a cover charge, and that was that,” Hoskin said. “Definitely a legit reason, but pretty lame.”

The visa available to Canadian bands wanting to perform in the United States requires a minimum number of shows and has to be applied for months in advance. And with the fickle nature of music – headliners cancel, venues close, etc. – you can get to the border only find things cancelled, thereby freezing your entire itinerary.

“I’ve since heard a rumor that there are other visas you can get that are relatively easy to apply for,” Hoskin added, but also noted that regardless, there is scores of paperwork for selling merch.

But when it came down to it, Portal took the shut out in true Canadian rocker fashion.

“We just went back to Vancouver and partied for another day. We had to cancel the shows, of course. One of the promoters was difficult to get a hold of, which caused a little confusion, but we figured it out. It wasn’t too much of a big deal for us, mostly just a waste of time. But we felt really terrible about fans who had been waiting to see us. We had a few that had traveled a fair ways to come to the shows.”

All the U.S. shows were booked in Washington State. Any specific reason?

We wanted to just go out to Vancouver and back, but we had a fan/friend in Washington who offered us a show in Seattle right around our other dates. That parlayed into another date the next day.

What could you have done differently to ensure access to those shows?

Simply having more knowledge about the process. We could have divvied up the paper work a little more, or hired someone to do it for us. A lot of bands have told us that every time they cross the border, they learn something new about what they should be doing.

How much importance do you put on playing out of town shows, regardless of where they may be?

I think bands should do it as much as possible. It really is a great way to meet people, fans, make contacts, sell merch. And it’s awesome. We don’t do it enough, in my opinion.

Your most recent album, “Blood Red Tape” [Kenton Thomas, Portal, 2008], was three years in the works. Was this time spent solely working on the album, or were there plenty of shows in between?

There weren’t a lot of shows, especially the last year and a half. This was the first record we did completely top to bottom by ourselves, so each process along the way was a learning experience, and came with a lot of analysis and second-guessing. We also have a lot of other things on our individual plates that got in the way from time to time.

How did you balance staying active show-wise, while still concentrating on getting the album you wanted?

We didn’t really pursue shows while we were recording, but were still able to play once every couple months in our hometown, when other bands or promoters would ask. Near the end of the record, we started turning down shows in order to keep focus on the record.

Do you have any plans to head back to the United States for future shows?

Nothing immediate. But we will.

In the meantime, what’s next on the band’s agenda?

Doing as much as we can to promote the record, looking towards some more substantial tours, and possibly back to the creative process to work on some new material.