Whether hitting the road for a one-night show or a month long trek, you can never really know how it’s all going go.

“Some things are not foreseen; the only thing you can do is be prepared. The most important thing is reliable transportation, and the next thing is good experience to adapt to all kinds of situations,” affirms Section VIII guitarist Wes Sontag. And after 20 years of shows and side projects, and the fact that he’s been part of the Edmonton-based six-piece metal act since 1989, he’s learned a thing or two about what it takes to play out-of-town shows and return home without being incarcerated or cannibalized.

Section VIII was originally formed as a thrash act, nicking their moniker from a song they had written of the same name.

“The band went through a line-up change in 1990. Our bass player became the drummer and a new bass player was brought in. Within four months, we were playing our first show,” Sontag explains.

And though they were soon rooted as an Alberta mainstay, their sound continued to grow and “was changed completely after our interests in progressive metal grew,” Sontag says.

“The songs were more technical, arrangements more thought out, solos more musical with counterpoint, twin harmonies and more song structure.”

Now, after a temporary hiatus, Sontag, along with bassist Kris Evans, formerly of Acantha, and drummer Dean Relf have been rehearsing as a three piece, re-working some of their older tunes and writing new material, but inevitably touring again is always in the foreground.

Do you prefer taking the show on the road or sticking with local venues?

Sontag: Local shows are fun, but limited to the local scene. Touring is very important in our eyes. That’s how you sell your music to a wider audience: by getting out there and supporting your product

What has your longest out-of-town jaunt been?

Sontag: It’s probably no mystery that me and drummer Dean Relf were in the Canadian metal band Disciples of Power for a long time. We toured Canada a couple of times over from coast to coast. The longest time out was about four months on the Ominous Prophecy tour in ’92, where we had support from Much Music and our label at the time, Fringe Records.

What are the biggest challenges of out-of-town shows?

Sontag: Some of the biggest challenges are the long drives. Canada is so spread out. You feel a bit burned out after a long haul, but then you got to get all the gear in the club, then you got to play, then you got to tear down, then you got to pack the gear back in the trailer, try and sleep, and then do it all over again. Not much time to rest. The best way not to get burned out over time is to keep the drinking down and the health up.

How do you determine when to schedule shows?

Sontag: There really is no perfect time of year to tour. Each season has its ups and downs. Meaning, summer attendance is sometimes down due to vacations and summer holidays. Winter can be pretty good, but too damn cold.

Evans: Every band wants to tour in the summer, so dates get booked up very far in advance. Playing metal makes it even tougher with the lack of venues that support the music. Sometimes you can have three or four bands trying to get into the one or two clubs that city has. You really have to start booking in the winter for a summer tour. Then expect to get asked about 400 times for bands to get on your bill because they are touring as well.

How do you go about booking out-of-town shows?

Sontag: Usually we go through a promoter, or pick up the phone and contact the clubs personally.

Evans: Sometimes you get can bands from other towns to set up shows for you if you don’t have any contacts for the cities you plan on being in, but it’s pretty hard to find bands that will take the time to help you out. Ninety per cent of bands that I contact for help never even so much as give a reply.

Anything weird or funny ever happen to you on the road?

Sontag: There have been instances. One time we thought we were supposed to be playing in Saskatoon, pulled up to the doors and seen the gig poster on the door. The gig wasn’t until the next day, because we were supposed to be in Regina. So off in a hurry we made it to Regina just before we were to start our set. That was funny.

Evans: I don’t want to get into too much about stuff I have been through on the road; it could almost constitute jail time. We’ll say fireworks and four guys with nothing to do far from home? Not the smartest choice. BB guns are fun to bring, though.

Have there been times where you’d swear some outside force was trying to prevent you from getting to your destination?

Evans: I’m pretty sure our GPS was trying to stop us from leaving Saskatoon with Acantha. In fact, it was leading us down dirty back roads at four in the morning. We went against our better judgment and made our way back to the main highway. That’s when we started getting chased by some crazed dude in a shitty old truck that looked like he would eat us alive or use our body parts for his own!

Section VIII don’t currently have any shows booked, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t on the horizon. Keep and eye on their MySpace page for new details about the band and upcoming shows.