"That's what compelled me to also be an arranger and producer later on. These days, I also engineer all my work here in the studio, so it never ends, which is good in that it keeps me interested and always learning.  Besides, robbing liquor stores always kept me on the run."

Since he mentioned the instruments he plays, I asked him about the kind of gear he's using these days.

" I've been playing a Fender Strat for over 30 years, primarily, but about 5 . . . . years ago, Gibson started to make a single cutaway model ES-137 Custom in Memphis that I bought without even playing or hearing because I could just see that it was going to be good, and it is.  Before the Strat, I used a Les Paul.  This ES-137 is a cross between a Les Paul, and a 335. When I'm recording, it's good to have a few different guitars lying around to layer parts with that complement each other.  As for amp, in the studio, I play through an old Digitech 2112 rack mount straight into the console that pretty much gives me any sound I'm looking for. When I play out, we have a back line rider that requires rented gear, and I usually can deal with any name brand like Fender, Ampeg, Crate, and Mesa Boogie.  As long as it has an overdrive two volume control and footswitch so that I can go between clean rhythm to crank it out mode. I'm also fabulous at playing the radio, and I do it loud and often.

His new disc, "Late  Bloomer", has just been released so I asked Rob how sales have been for the disc. 

" We've only released that CD with word of mouth thus far, and we're just starting to go after radio play at this point, so sales are what anyone would expect from just word of mouth.  Ask me that again in about a year.  I can tell you that my mom bought one."

When you listen to "Late Bloomer", you'll be caught off guard by the couple of funk tunes on the disc.  I asked Parissi how his new audience takes his funky streak.  He answers with a story that gives some background to his answer.

"Around 1996, I came to St. Petersburg from Ohio and bought a condo on the Gulf of Mexico to spend the winters.  As I was driving around one day down here, I found a Smooth Jazz radio station and it was like I was 11 years old again.  There was one particular instrumental band from England (Down To The Bone) that I loved, and they were doing jazz changes and riffs to funk beats with the drums and bass mixed way up heavy like dance records.  I instantly got it and thought to myself, ‘that's the next place I'm going to pursue' (I always think to myself with quotation marks). 

"Actually, it was like going back to what inspired me in the beginning, only now, I have enough education and experience to know why I'm doing what I am.  Even back when Wild Cherry was active and had records on the charts, I spent my down time listening to people like George Benson, Lee Ritenour, and Larry Carlton.  So, the jazz thing really never left me.  It's just that I realized I couldn't make a living as easy as I could in a rock dance band with top 40 hits on the charts appealing to the masses out there.  At this point, I can afford to do what I want and not have to worry about being a starving artist.  Basically, I'm just trying to raise enough money to take the family to Dairy Queen."