Looking for a taste of Southern rock? Just call in the Hired Help

They don't want to be rock stars and they have no intention of being famous. Each member of the band plays other gigs on the side and they are all happy when someone else shows up to listen.

For a band that just looks forward to working, the name Hired Help is fitting.

"What we are is the nucleus, but we've all got other projects that we do. We hire ourselves out, so the name just fit," drummer Eddie Freitas said.

Parts of the self-described southern-blues-classic rock band have been working together on and off for almost 15 years.

"The first two years we went through three or four people before we talked Scotty into coming to the group," Freitas said.

Lead guitar player Gary Fritz, adorned with his last name tattooed on his arm, said the group is held together by a common goal.

"We all just love to play. We sure don't do it for the fame and fortune. I think we are passed the point of wanting to grow up to be rock stars. Now we play because we love to play," Fritz said.

Keyboardist and lead vocalist Scott Hart said, "The best part is just being able to enjoy music. Whether you are playing or not, just to be around music and make other people smile."

The band lists bass player Chuck Chrisman as their cultural liaison, serving to provide perspective to the Southern rock band as the only member of the band who actually lived in the South.

Each member of Hired Help began the addiction to music in a different way. For Freitas it was his dad, while Fritz started to be just like his older brother.

"I started playing at 7 years old to emulate him and now I play more frequently than he does," Fritz said.

Fritz's daughter has taken up music and now tunes all of her dad's guitars for him.

While each member of the group says they stick to the songs they know and love, their personal music selections tend to span the spectrum. Fritz said his current favorite is a Allman Brother's tune titled "The Whipping Post."

The band just completed a show at the Nevada Legislative Outdoor Amphitheater on Sunday and is scheduled to perform at 6 p.m. Friday at Mom and Pop's Dine.

• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.