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By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter
St. Patrick’s day is the biggest holiday in the month of March. Green shamrocks and “kiss me I’m Irish” t-shirts are ubiquitous. For those who enjoy Celtic culture, there is an abundance of musical and artistic performances. One of these performers is Davis Bates, a storyteller and singer. Bates performed at the Center at the Heights in Needham on May 9, which is noticeably not in March.
“I was supposed to come here near St. Patrick’s Day, and we had a snow storm,” Bates explained. “So we had to postpone the performance until May, and oddly enough, it turned into winter out there. I sort of think we shouldn’t schedule another St. Patrick’s Day performance in June unless we want to have snow.”
Bates has been telling stories for over thirty-eight years, in schools, libraries and community settings around New York and New England. This particular performance was focused on the Celtic tradition in particular, however his performances outside of St. Patrick's Day season are a mixture of family, Native American, international and regional songs and stories.
“I can give you some stories and give you some songs – some of the songs you may know already – and everything I give you I’m not going to take back,” Bates said after introducing himself. “I’m not going to stand at the door and collect them on the way out, I couldn’t even if I wanted, and I don’t want to because I want you to take these stories and tell them to somebody else. If I tell a story, I’ve given it away but I’ve still got it. And the folks I give it to can give it away and they’ll still have it, too.”
The genres of song and story overlap in Bates’ performance, and he presents a number of both that call for audience participation. Many of his stories share themes and tropes, which in the case of this performance he explained may have accounted for differences in regional telling, how stories changed over time, or how they changed as people moved to different countries.
