This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Salt Lake City's own American Hitmen tweeted that fans should tune in Tuesday at 8 p.m. to "America's Got Talent," on NBC.
The rock band auditioned and was accepted for the eighth season of the talent contest in which performers in a variety of disciplines compete for a $1 million prize and top billing on a show in Las Vegas. "American Idol" creator Simon Cowell helped create the talent show, which is judged by comedian Howie Mandel, former Spice Girl Melanie Brown, model Heidi Klum and radio DJ Howard Stern.
The American Hitmen include three former Marines who began playing together in Fallujah, Iraq, during Operation Phantom Fury in 2004, as well as civilian drummer Phil Snyder. The original three are brothers Tim "Two Guns" Cord and Dan "The Hitman" Cord, along with Daniel "Jay" Jarmon, who teamed for a brand of rock they have previously described to The Tribune as "postwar hardcore."
The group are no strangers to competition, having won Salt Lake City's 2012 Ernie Ball Battle Of The Bands for a spot in the Rockstar Energy Uproar Festival with the likes of Staind and Godsmack. They covered Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" in the "America's Got Talent" audition, earning rave reviews from all four judges.
Stern's appraisal: "I have been waiting for two seasons to find a band that could go all the way to the top. I believe you're true contenders."