Before a band from the west coast moved to Detroit ... another band from the west coast moved to Detroit

Last week, news broke that musicians from Portland, Ore. were moving to Detroit in pursuit of the artists' life — and to possibly paint their house a "crazy color." One of the artists cited was the genre-defying Sold Only As Curio, who said they hoped to launch a non-profit based studio, which was not feasible in oversaturated Portland.

But before a band from the west coast moved to Detroit, there was ... another band from the west coast that moved to Detroit. 

Back in 1999, as Detroit's nascent garage-rock scene was just starting to gain traction, a young outfit named the Starlite Desperation bucked the trend of bands migrating west to try and "make it" by uprooting from Monterrey, Calif. to live in Woodbridge in Detroit — a move MT called "one of the few musical relocations to Detroit of note since Alice Cooper first called Detroit home." 

That band's Detroit life turned out to be short-lived, however. Just over a year after they moved here — quite possibly motivated by the realization that winters in Detroit are basically the worst — they headed back west and relocated in L.A. before finally calling it quits in 2008.

Hopefully Sold Only as Curio can stay a little longer. Below, watch a video of the Starlite Desperation playing at Detroit's now-defunct Gold Dollar.