Born in Ireland, Eugene’s first studio experience was as a teenager, when his band “Houl Yer Whisht” earned a recording contract at Outlet Studios, Belfast (which served many Irish artists at the time, incl. Van Morrison, Stiff Little Fingers, Sean Maguire, and many others). This experience started a life-long quest – starting with a single reel-to-reel tape recorder, he quickly progressed to bouncing tracks between a professional Revox machine and various other decks. Eugene always wanted to be a ‘side-man’ and multi-instrumentalist, and his enthusiastic interest in rock, blues, and what is known today as “Celtic Music” led to him being contracted by Downtown Radio Studios, at the time a brand new leading-edge facility, to record folk music albums as well as live-to-air jazz and gospel bands, and TV ad music tracks. In short – he’s been doing it ever since. Digital recording was the huge leap-forward. Even though, like most seasoned engineers and producers he loves the benefits of analogue equipment, the digital age meant that he could install state-of-the-art gear which was previously beyond the financial means of anyone except for the largest commercial studios, who could afford the gear and the on-site staff to maintain it constantly. Over the years Eugene has enjoyed sharing the stage with many artists, primarily in his favorite role as sideman, playing acoustic and electric guitars, bass, tin whistle, bouzouki, cittern, mandolin, banjo and more. He formed and led a Celtic 6-piece band in Ontario, performing in soft seat theatres throughout Ontario, and he has thousands of gigs under his belt touring and performing with his wife Nonie Thompson (formerly Crete) both as a duo, and with a number of groups formed around their combined talents. (Nonie has released 6 CDs to date, with Eugene playing on, recording or producing most of them). He fell in love with Cape Breton in the late 70’s when he toured with an Irish band, and subsequent tours with Nonie re-enforced his desire to retire to the island. As a musician he has been featured on CDs by various bands, as well as a number of solo recordings. As a producer, his multi-instrumental experience has been very beneficial as he has contributed hundreds of tracks to many recordings. Rea Studios today reflects years of building, of acquiring the best gear for the job; as well as the culmination of decades playing, recording, and producing music. Like most world-class facilities, it features a musical combination of analogue equipment, feeding digital recorders, allowing for on-screen editing and industry-standard quality. Oh – and did we mention the amazing space, full of vibes?