For more than a decade, Pat Hull’s music has been deeply ingrained in Chico’s music landscape. Now, with new music out and some life changes he’s not sure where this new journey may lead him.
It’s a busy time for Hull. He’s an educator at Chico State and a father at home, working tirelessly to find a balance between his life’s endeavors.
“I am a father of three children, and I rarely find the time and the environment to create,” Hull said.
Hull still values his creative time, fitting it in whenever he can, but he says he no longer feels pressure to make music.
“I authentically don't miss it, when I'm in my space of having to be a dad or a teacher or whatever, whatever is needed from me. I serve that moment, and I don't wish I was anywhere else,” Hull said.
Hull isn’t stepping away from creating, he has just finished two new songs. He stays present, whether with family or making music.
“I surrender to the moment, and I know that now is not the time to create when I'm in my home,” Hull said. “But if I go to Portland and I'm with my friends and we're recording, I'm waking up and I'm gonna serve the creative space.”
Finding his voice — and his people — in Chico
Originally from Connecticut, Hull came to Chico for graduate studies, not specifically for musical pursuits. He enrolled in the Communication Studies Program at Chico State.
During that time, he began playing guitar and experimenting with songwriting. This was the first time Hull says he experienced a city that not only welcomed musicians but could also support them.
“The most truthful thing I could say is just what a testament to what the art community and the Chico community in general is as an entity, just incredibly supportive and unconditional.”- Pat Hull, singer & songwriter
“It didn't dawn on me until I moved here. I think the community showed me that it was possible to keep growing, creating, and challenging yourself as an artist,” Hull said.
Hull deeply values the Chico community and the creative opportunities it offers. In 2022, that same community rallied around him during a critical time.
While playing soccer, a vein in his brain ruptured which led to a subarachnoid hemorrhage and two-week stay in the intensive care unit. This was a life-threatening situation.
But Hull said he’d already been aware of his own fragility. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 12, he’s carried a constant awareness of the delicate balance between life and death.
“I've always understood that I'm walking a tightrope between this world and the next,” Hull said.
Following his release from the ICU, his gratitude for life was amplified by the arrival of his baby daughter a week later.
“Just an intense amount of gratitude and awe that I'm still here on this planet and that I get to have all of my functions, to be able to to be a teacher, to be a dad, to be still be here for my kids, to continue to songwrite,” Hull said.
During his near-death experience, many people offered physical and financial assistance. He said he feels immense gratitude for the community’s support.
“The most truthful thing I could say is just what a testament to what the art community and the Chico community in general is as an entity, just incredibly supportive and unconditional,” Hull said.
He said his gratitude is immeasurable.
“I'm still at a loss for words, and I'm hoping that ineffable loss of words speaks louder than I could say to everybody,” Hull said, “and if anyone's listening, know that there's nothing I can say, but that it's felt so deeply.”
Old bandmates, new songs
“It’s becoming a real habit and practice and routine to disengage from the mind-invented worries. That song is a celebration that we don’t have to be in that space …”- Pat hull, singer & songwriter
With the pressures of creating behind him, Hull’s new work brings him greater joy when he does have the time to create.
Hull's upcoming songs were made with his longtime friends and musical partners, Mark Robertson and Bob Reynolds. During his graduate studies, both were his initial bandmates in Chico around 2008.
“All three of us are speaking the same language on what these songs need to feel like,” Hull said.
Although they had previously parted ways, the three friends have reunited to make music. They recently recorded as a trio at Mark's cabin-style home in Corbett, Ore.
“We don't know what we're doing now, necessarily, but we were just talking after these two songs were written, that we're in a really good pocket, and how fortunate we are to still be creating almost two decades later with each other,” Hull said.
The group has recorded two songs and plans to record more in a few months.
The first song, “Big Apology,” stems from the power of apologizing, which is really its central theme. It explores the significant impact of apologies, both given and withheld, and how the anticipation of an apology can sometimes hinder progress.
“It's a reflection on empathy and how to get unfrozen,” Hull said. “And part of getting unfrozen, I say in the chorus, is finding some sort of true love and passion within yourself and in partnership.”
The second song is titled "Maiden Name," and Hull finds it difficult to articulate its essence. Lyrically, the song draws inspiration from the nondualistic teachings of Rupert Spira, an author and speaker he has been studying.
He reflected on how the human mind often dwells on self-created problems, only to realize their baselessness. He considered the possibility that these anxieties were entirely internal constructs.
“It's becoming a real habit and practice and routine to disengage from the mind-invented worries,” Hull said. “That song is a celebration that we don't have to be in that space, we can take a direct path out of that and be a free creature.”
