Troy Whitford is best known as the drummer for the Sweat Act, and also plays for local supergroup 5th Town. Whitford tells us that the Sweat Act is planning a live recording of all the band’s songs. You can catch the Sweat Act for free on Saturday, June 25, at The Hood, along with The Hellions and Sunday Funeral. For more information on the Sweat Act, visit www.thesweatact.com or www.facebook.com/TheSweatAct. Here are Whitford’s answers to The Lucky 13.
What was the first concert you attended?
The Vans Warped Tour at the Pond in Anaheim.
What was the first album you owned?
The Offspring, Smash.
What bands are you listening to right now?
The Flatliners, Authority Zero, No Use for a Name, Choking Victim, Leftover Crack, Lagwagon, Descendents, Talking Heads, Tower of Power, SNFU, Rise Against, Propagandhi, NOFX, Pink Floyd, OFF!, No Cash, and J Dilla. Right now… all at once. Kind of a trip!
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get
New-era disco, like Franz Ferdinand stuff, and all the bands trying to copy that crap. It makes me laugh and puke at the same time.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Frank Zappa, hands down.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
Lorde. That’s my girl! Don’t tell anyone.
What’s your favorite music venue?
The Viper Room (in West Hollywood).
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“When I go driving, I get drunk,” from the Sweat Act, “I Go Driving.”
What band or artist changed your life? How?
Reel Big Fish. They taught me not to take things so seriously, and that if you’re drinking, and you know that you’re my friend, then I should probably consider having a beer. Woo hoo!
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
I would ask Dick Lucas (Subhumans): What’s his reason for existence, and does he believe in anything? Does his lifestyle contradict the words he writes in the songs he sings?
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Lagwagon, “Owen Meaney.”
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Tower of Power, Back to Oakland.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
I try not to “should” people.