TAKE IT: The next major step in your career was probably the "Cleveland Metal" compilation album. Tell us a little bit about how you ended up on there and when you recorded "Walking The Wire", another track that didn't appear anywhere else…
Jim: "Ahhhh…this is where EVERYTHING changed. Once Bill Peters, and his then partner Tim Stewart,approached us about the project, we knew we had an ally for life. Bill has been with us through thick and thin. In my opinion, he is one of the reasons, maybe even the MAIN reason, that the Metal scene literally exploded in Cleveland!!!"
Mark: "Well, according to Bill Peters, BREAKER was the reason that he decided to form a record label so of course we wanted to be on "Cleveland Metal". We had developed a great friendship with Bill and we were flattered when BREAKER was the first band he had asked to be on the LP."
Jim: "When the "Cleveland Metal" LP was released there were Metal shows turning up everywhere. Every venue in town wanted a piece of the action. And we were more than happy to oblige. More shows meant more chances to refine our material and improve our live show. We were one of the fortunate bands to have two slots on the LP, and I think we wanted to show two different sides of our writing. "Walking The Wire" was one of the songs already written before I had joined the band, and was a showcase for Michael's guitar playing skills. It was also a lot different sounding than a lot of the stuff we were working on at the time."
Mark: "I think we decided not to re-record "Walking The Wire" for a couple of reasons. We had decided to re-record "Blood Money" and didn't want to ask fans to buy a record with a bunch of songs they already owned. We also had a pretty instrumental written by Michael, which we were planning on having on the LP. The instrumental, "Every Secret Thing", obviously didn't make it on the album but there is a chance it will be included on the double CD."
TAKE IT: At which point of time did you exactly get together with Bill Peters and how did your co-operation develop from there?
Mark: "Well, Bill was a big supporter from the beginning. He would come to our early shows and tell us how much he liked the band. When we got our first "official" demo ("Entering Twilight") together, Bill was the first person to play it on his great Friday night  radio show "Metal On Metal". You could say that Bill "discovered" BREAKER. We developed a great friendship and working relationship with Bill from the start which continued even through the rough times like when we hooked-up with a bonehead manager and did other stupid shit!"
TAKE IT: When the idea came up to record and release an album for him, did you accept straight from the start or have there been other interested companies that you took into consideration as well?
Jim: "We had discussions with a few labels at that time, but they really wanted to sign bands with an image. Admittedly, I really don't think we ever had an image. We were just 5 guys who plugged in and played loud, aggressive Metal. Don't get me wrong, we did try to fit in with the image thing… muss our hair up, dress a certain way… all that stuff. But, I think anyone will tell you it was forced, and not natural for us at all."
Mark: "Actually, we started recording the LP while we were under contract to the idiot manager I mentioned. He was working for a fairly powerful management company and of course promised us all kind of great things like a budget, touring and exposure. When it became obvious that the management didn't know what the hell they were doing, we demanded that it be put out on Auburn. We eventually got out of our contract with the manager and went back to working with Bill exclusively but the whole thing really tied us up and hurt us in some ways."
Jim: "Bill Peters KNOWS Metal, and he KNOWS us. In the end we knew we would be handled properly by him and Auburn Records. To him, it's all about the music!! He has been doing a very successful Metal radio show here for years, and when he gets excited about something he plays it on the air, it's genuine. He really doesn't care about how bands dress, or how long their hair is… he cares about the music. And we all trusted Bill, we did then, and still do now. That is very important. It's like a family."
TAKE IT: I heard that you tried out new vocalists during the recordings of "Get Tough" (or shortly after), so what kind of problems did you have with Jim at the time and have you seriously thought about replacing him?
Mark: "The best explanation I can give is that we were young and stupid and a lot of things were happening quickly for us. Looking back, the "problems" we all might have had with the situation now look pretty silly. Once we got past all of that and dealt with things, it became clear that what we had was special and we shouldn't "fuck with it". This band with this line-up IS BREAKER and if anything changed, BREAKER would no longer exist."
TAKE IT: What kind of guys auditioned for BREAKER? Would you vocally still have sounded similar or were they coming up with at totally different style of vocals?
Mark: "None of them would have fit in, they sucked big dick! Jim IS the voice of BREAKER!"
TAKE IT: What made you stick with Jim in the end?
Mark: "We realized that BREAKER has a certain chemistry, which happens only when this particular group of friends gets together. You can't MAKE that kind of thing happen, it either exists or it doesn't. I think we all grew up a little and really appreciated what we had. Now it's better than ever!"
TAKE IT: When "Get Tough" finally was finished and released – did it live up to your expectations? What kind of response did you get on it at the time?
Jim: "The LP actually came out while I was out of the band. As a favor to Bill, I completed tracks on the record so it could be released, even though I was no longer associated with BREAKER. I love the record!"
Mark: "Yes, we were happy with it and felt that we had created something good. We were fortunate to work with Paul Hamman (Suma Recording Studios) who really helped us accomplish what we wanted to. We felt that we achieved something with a very small budget that many well-financed projects couldn't touch. Of course, without Paul and Bill's help and support, it probably wouldn't have been as cool."
Jim: "I wish there could have been a way to complete it properly, but it makes a strong statement to me on how well we worked as a unit. Even though I was no longer in the group, I came in and contributed, and the four songs I completed don't sound any different than what had been already recorded. They are actually my best performances on the record. Those tracks were "10 Seconds In", "Blood Money", "Get Tough" and "Lie To Me"."
TAKE IT: How does it feel that people still enjoy your music almost fifteen years later?
Mark: "Incredibly flattering!"
Jim: "It blows me away that people still love the band."

Mark: "We're just blown-away that original fans still enjoy it and that so many new fans are discovering it."
Jim: "When a band recorded 10 albums, and you go back to one of them that was recorded 15 years ago…that's one thing. But to have, to this point anyway, one single, a couple of compilation appearances and one LP, that people seem to still have the urge to listen to after all these years… That kicks my ass!!! I am extremely grateful for the impact we are able to have with our music, and proud too."
Mark: "It's just incredible and we can't thank people enough!"
TAKE IT: What have you done to promote the album back then? Were you able to go on the road or something?
Mark: "Not as much as we would have liked. We did not have Jim singing at the time, nor a huge budget for promotion or touring. Most of what we accomplished was through playing live, word-of-mouth and the underground scene."
TAKE IT: Did you ever start working on a second album? When and why did you split-up the band?
Mark: "Yes, we had begun work on the second full-length, which was tentatively titled "Engines Of Disaster". After beginning work on it, we took a bit of a break from the whole music thing due to personal circumstances."
Jim: "In 1991, my father passed on after a long illness, during which I was trying to juggle both the band and his caretaking. After his death, I was devastated. I wanted out of music completely. I needed time to heal, time to myself. And it wasn't fair to BREAKER that I was not giving them all of my efforts. I HATED to leave, but as I said, I would not have been fair to the band to just be along for the ride, and let everyone else do the work."
Mark: "We've talked about recording another new full-length which would be great. I think that we have some our best material ready to go and would love to see it released!"
TAKE IT: What have you all done afterwards? I mean, I know about Jim's involvement in NIGHTCRAWLER, but what about the rest of you guys? Have you still continued to play heavy music?
Mark: "Yah, Jim has definitely been carrying the heavy music torch! Jim sounds really good with NIGHTCRAWLER and the guitarist, Cat, is a great guy and a fantastic player in his own right. As I mentioned, we all have diverse musical tastes and we've all been involved in a lot of different projects. No matter what we do though, our heavy roots come through in whatever we play, it's in our blood, haha! Don and I have also been active in the scene in other ways. Don owns 609 Recording and I do engineering and mastering work. We've worked on projects from many different national and local groups, including current Cleveland metal bands like the MANIMALS, CRYPT KICKER and the forthcoming NIGHTCRAWLER album."
TAKE IT: Jim, talking about NIGHTCRAWLER – how did you actually hook-up with them for the recordings of the mini CD and was it a problem for you to sing in your old style again after so many years?
Jim: "I had known Cat Landris and Mike Hanzel all during my time in BREAKER. They actually just wanted me to record the mini-CD as a favor. I was definitely at a point where I wanted to make music again, this was around 1995, so I took the opportunity. At first, it was strange. I had not been singing for almost 4 years, and now suddenly I was singing again, and with a band that WASN'T BREAKER. It took only one or two rehearsals with NIGHTCRAWLER to get back in shape. Singing this style of music is something that just comes naturally to me. I actually played guitar for 7 years before joining BREAKER. I became a vocalist by accident. Early on, I just opened up and sang, no training, no exercises, nothing. It wasn't until the work load increased during the 80's that I took voice lessons, and had a coach who taught me how to use my voice properly, so it wasn't hard at all to just jump back in and record with NIGHTCRAWLER."
TAKE IT: Are there plans for a NIGHTCRAWLER full-length with your involvement or is that chapter already closed again for you?
Jim: "We are working on material right now for a full-length NIGHTCRAWLER CD. I will be on it, and hopefully we will begin recording very soon."
TAKE IT: Is it true that you once got an offer to become IRON MAIDEN's new vocalist? When exactly was that? Tell us some more about that and why it didn't work out in the end?
Jim: "I don't know where the rumor started? I have been very fortunate to be friends with the guys in MAIDEN. I met them the very first time they had played Cleveland in 1981, and also struck up a friendship with Bruce Dickinson when he joined. They have always been very supportive of me, and as an organization form top to bottom have showed me a lot of the right things to do in the music business. Unfortunately, I was never offered a chance to join, but believe me, that would be a dream come true to sing even one note on stage with those guys."
TAKE IT: When and how did the idea come up to put out "Get Tough" on CD after so many years? What can you tell us about all the planned additional material that is supposed to be on there?
Mark: "Well, one big reason for the re-release is the interest from fans! Bill and ourselves kept hearing from people that wanted it and we also always wished to get it out on CD. Bill decided he wanted to release it but wanted to make it a sort of special thing and that's why it will be a 2-CD package and include all the rare stuff."
Jim: "I think the continued interest in the band helped with the decision to release "Get Tough" on CD. Up 'til now, one of the most asked questions both overseas, AND here in the States, was whether or not it would ever come out on CD. BREAKER always tried to do things bigger and better than we were expected to do. When we realized that we had reels and reels of unreleased material, we figured now is the time to go and put it out!"
Mark: "The release will include "Get Tough" in its entirety (including "Touch Like Thunder", originally only on the cassette version) on one CD. The second CD will be dedicated to the other material and will include both sides of the first 45, both cuts from "Cleveland Metal", "Still Life" from the "Heavy Artillery" compilation, the version of "Breaker" we recently recorded, some demos and some unreleased songs. We want to give people a lot of cool stuff even if some of it is sort of "rough"!"
Jim: "Some things are 24-track studio recordings, some are 4-track demos, and some are really rough sounding (Ha Ha Ha), but why not? Metal fans who are listening to demos realize that a note here or there may be wrong. I think it's cool that, by including demos, fans get a little history on us. For instance, the demo of "10 Seconds In" that I mentioned earlier, is pale in comparison to the version on "Get Tough", but listening to it will show how that song developed, and how I developed as a vocalist. I mean, fuck, that demo is the FIRST time my voice was ever recorded! I didn't even know what the hell I was doing yet. I am glad that people will get to hear how we progressed."
TAKE IT: Why did you first of all go for the "Accept" EP release? It is said to be a limited edition… Why is that, and how many copies have been made?
Mark: "The interest has been so great that Bill wanted to get something out soon while the double CD is being finished."
Jim: "Yes, we wanted to get something out prior to "Get Tough" being released."
Mark: "While going through tapes for the "Get Tough" re-issue, we found "Life Of Crime" and "Action" which we thought sounded good but weren't scheduled for "Get Tough"! It just seemed to make sense to put some of this on an EP and get it out quickly while work on the reissue was being completed."
Jim: "We had enough material for something special, sort of a preview of what to expect when "Get Tough" is released. The EP won't be quite as limited as the "Blood Money" single, but I don't know for sure how available it will be once the full-length CD comes out."
Mark: "The limited edition part of the EP is that Bill plans to include a different hidden bonus track with each pressing. He wanted to make it a collectors item for the die hard BREAKER fans yet still keep it very inexpensively priced. We're already into our second pressing. The first pressing included an untitled track recorded back in '82 or '83 of our crew guys and us screwing around at the practice spot. The second pressing has the "rough" demo of "10 Seconds In", which happens to be Jim's very first recorded vocal performance. Who knows what Bill has in store for the third, fourth, fifth, etc. pressings??? We have so many tapes! Hopefully, it won't be one of my first recorded drum performances! (haha)."
TAKE IT: Who came up with the highly original sleeve design? Are you fans of ACCEPT?
Jim: "I believe it was Bill Peters."
Mark: "Actually, Bill and I came up with it while working on ideas for the package."
Jim: "That sleeve is certainly meant as no disrespect to ACCEPT, that's for sure. I have always been a huge fan of theirs."
Mark: "We were all fans of ACCEPT and got our name from the song "Breaker"."
Jim: "When that record came out, it was all that I listened to for weeks, and now in 1999, that's why we covered the title track. What a great band, once again, it's that European sound that just kicks ass!!!"
Mark: "Since we recorded the song recently, we thought it would be fun to take the cover from the ACCEPT record and flip it around swapping the band name and titles and using our "Get Tough!" dog instead of a woman. Hopefully, people laughed about it as much as we did!"
TAKE IT: The demo recordings on there are partly from 1990 – so was that supposed to be stuff for a possible second BREAKER album?
Mark: "I believe we were going to put "Action" on the second album but I'm not sure about "Life Of Crime"."
TAKE IT: I noticed that your original bass player Ian Shipley is not in the band anymore and was replaced by a guy named Brook Hodges. What happened to Ian and how did you find Brook?
Jim: "Ian's heart just wasn't' into it anymore, he was getting married, and wanted a different lifestyle. I can respect that, besides, getting Brook was great!!!"
Mark: "Ian decided to leave music completely. Jim contacted him recently about getting back in but Ian wasn't interested. Personally, I wish Ian were still in the band, I miss him being in BREAKER!"
Jim: "Brook is a super guy, and a great bass player. He actually had an audition with METALLICA after Cliff had died. He had originally moved here from Chicago to join DESTRUCTOR, but wound up with us instead."
Mark: "Things didn't work out with DESTRUCTOR and we asked him to join BREAKER. Brook's a great guy and fit in with us very easily!"
TAKE IT: I also noticed that the ACCEPT cover tune was recorded in 1999, so is BREAKER back together again? Will there be a new album maybe?
Mark: "Well, we are talking about recording material for another release."
Jim: "As a recording band, yes. Right now we are going to explore the options of recording some new material, and HOPEFULLY play reunion shows of some sort."
Mark: "We've done more recording than playing lately (our last show was with MICHAEL SCHENKER on May 28th in Cleveland) but we have had offers both here and in Europe to play shows."
Jim: "It would be great to be offered festival gigs or something like that where we can really let it rip! Our show in May with MSG that Mark just spoke about had an overwhelming crowd response, energy level and intensity. Right now, everything feels right with BREAKER."
Mark: "We may be doing more shows before too long but would probably prefer to have the "Get Tough!" CD out first. It seems like we never stopped playing! We will definitely be doing a headlining show in Cleveland in early spring after the reissue comes out. We would love to have some of our European fans attend the show. Bill has talked about possibly recording the performance for a live album."
TAKE IT: Well, I guess that's all. I'm running out of questions, if we should have missed out anything important, feel free to add it here. Best wishes to you and BREAKER! 
Mark: "Thanks for the wishes! I hope we've given you enough info. Thank you too for the opportunity to "speak" with you, it is really appreciated by all of us…take care!"

Latest News:
BREAKER will contribute a brandnew recording of the old SCORPIONS  classic "Pictured Life"
to a Nuclear Blast SCORPIONS tribute album.

To contact the band, write to:

Frank Stöver

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