“For my money, HCB is one of the best lyricists – and poets – in the country. His work at the keyboards is poetry too.” — Steven Heighton

“Pacem (1) is one of those albums that works on the listener from the inside out. The more I listen, the more I am astonished by its depth and intricacy... masterfully constructed songs, stream of consciousness epic ballads, and a piano instrumental where Brown gently demonstrates his virtuoso talents and interpretive depth.” — Huffington Post

Songwriter, producer, bandleader, and sideman, Hugh Christopher Brown has toured and recorded with artists across genres from BB King and The Tragically Hip to DJ Logic and Tom Jones.

Pacem 2: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack "1968" picks up where Brown’s writing left off (before the pandemic saw him growing his prison arts program, Pros and Cons, into a national charity, and building the Hotel Wolfe Island into an arts facility supporting rural economy) — bringing lifelong themes and musical relationships into focus in 11 original works, and a soulful cover of Fred Neil’s Dolphins.

Brown mirrors present-day events in the turbulent episodes of 1968, drawing parallels with the violence, disinformation and drastic efforts of authoritarian regression.

“Every time I look at ’68 — which was the year of my birth — the upheaval and violent resistance to change is overwhelming. The instrumental which opens the album is both a processional and an elegy — Dr. King, RFK, the Catonsville 9, state murders of Black Panthers, the Chicago 7, Prague Spring, Berlin and Paris movements… it just goes on… the year always felt heavy, and currently instructive.”

The reflection finds sound in an album not confined by genre. Piano instrumentals like 1968 and Beautiful Place sit side by side with pop songs like Your Love, Guilty and the poetic collage of Prometheus. 61 minutes of music include contributions from major figures in Brown’s many musical circles: lifelong collaborator Kate Fenner, Bourbon Tabernacle Choir bandmates Chris Miller and Jason Mercer (Ron Sexsmith, Ani DiFranco), Tony Scherr (Norah Jones, Bill Frisell), Michael Blake (Lounge Lizards), Wolfe Islanders Sarah McDermott and Pete Bowers, and David Corley, The Holmes Brothers, Rosanna Goodman, Alison Russell, J.T. Lindsay, and emerging young Somali artist, Issa 4F, all making appearances.