Favorite "Life" Songs #5 - "Life Takes a Life"

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While I am celebrating life with this countdown of songs with "life" in the title, #5 really can't be considered a "celebration," yet it's one of the more poignant tunes in the series: "Life Takes a Life" by Jon Butcher Axis. "Being black and playing a Stratocaster created certain inevitable comparisons..." said guitarist/vocalist Jon Butcher about being saddled with the dreaded "next Hendrix" declaration early in his career (it probably didn't help that he called his band, a trio, "Axis.") For the record, according to Wikipedia, Jon Butcher has named his influences as Ritchie Havens, John Lennon, Phil Lynott, Bob Dylan, and Taj Mahal (you'll note the absence of Jimi Hendrix from that list, but now you know a little about one of my favorite guitarist's, without me telling the J. Geils Band story again.) From the 1983 debut, Jon Butcher Axis, "Life Takes a Life" is a tune that still holds true all these decades later (perhaps even more so. Mass shootings weren't a way of life in the early 80's. Now? We're both schocked and relieved on days that they don't happen.) The song was the debut single for the band, reaching #26 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. I've linked to the official video, which depicts gun violence without actually depicting gun violence. Some things never seem to change. (There's no way out info verified by Wikipedia)