Eagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998 by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme. Despite the name, Eagles of Death Metal is not a death metal band. Hughes said that a friend was trying to introduce Josh Homme to the death metal genre. When he played music by Polish death metal band Vader, Homme called them "The Eagles of death metal". After hearing this phrase, he wondered what a cross between the Eagles and a death metal band would sound like. In a 2003 interview Homme described the sound of the band as a combination of "bluegrass slide guitar mixed with stripper drum beats and Canned Heat vocals." Jesse Hughes is known and loved by fans for his enthusiastic and charismatic interaction with audiences at live performances.