Tucson Desert Musicians

My take on the 'Bremer Stadtmusikenten' of Grimm's Fairy Tales.

In the story going back to mideval Germany, four ageing domestic animals, who after a lifetime of hard work are neglected and mistreated by their former masters decide to fight back. Standing on each others backs and singing noisily, they appear at a window at night, like a huge monster, scare the humans away, and take over the cottage Since I was a child I liked this story. It applies in so many forms and is time-less - mistreated underdogs will eventually unite, rebell, and be victorious.

My seemingly more playfull version replaces the German farm animals with desert creatures - burro, coyote, bobcat and roadrunner. Of course, all of them have their own problems as human development encroaches on the desert. The burro, although brought here by humans, is considered invasive, useless and destructive. Coyote and Bobcat are still persecuted as predators and considered 'vermin' in Arizona. The Roadrunner seems quite adaptable but is losing habitat as cities grow and food sources as he stands on top of a foodchain that ranges from insects to lizards and small birds, all declining in numbers as the climate gets hotter and drier