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Deirdre Flint Lampoons the Arts Fest Heat with a Javelin of Political Humor

Posted by Ryan Chase on 07/15 at 04:04 PM

Deirdre Flint is a satirical folk singer and songwriter whose songs aim to poke fun at pop culture and Americana. Before taking up music full time, she was an elementary school teacher.

On this Saturday afternoon she appeared equally timid and bubbly. As she came out on stage, she adjusted the position of the capo on the neck of her guitar, squeezing the tail and sliding it down two frets.

The songs blended together. Once one ended it vanished like smoke into the night air quickly, yet somehow slowly, descending into evanescence. It did not diminish the performance or the humor from which it was conceived. It was simply a consequence. A small blemish on an otherwise impeccable display of wit and showmanship.

She picked a series of strings, testing if they were still in tune, the capo now properly adjusted. Then she moved closer to the microphone, bumping it, smiling nervously as it briefly wobbled before turning our attention to the metric system: it was coming. It was a prelude to the next song—a fast, melodic number poking fun at the Y2K hysteria ten years earlier. Laughs were quick and a-plenty.

By this time, business as usual for Deirdre Flint who, in the latter stages of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, compiled one of the more satisfying sets of the event.

Arts Fest was hot and crowded with overrated and overpriced food. But you take the good with the bad. Over 125,000 people converging on one town when you’re an employee at one of the premiere bar/restaurant establishments in said town = bad. Spending my one night off with old friends visiting from out of town = good. Ruby & the Hummingbirds = bad. Deirdre Flint = good, very good.

For her official website, visit here: Deirdre Flint