Michael Trotter Jr and Tanya Trotter – better known as The War and Treaty – may have been performing together since 2014, but this has truly been the year where they were catapulted into the mainstream.
After signing a major label deal with Universal in May 2022, the husband-and-wife duo have since performed alongside Brothers Osborne at the CMA Awards – with their version of ‘It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It)’ featuring on the Stoned Cold Country album – released the EP ‘Blank Page’ and their third album ‘Lover’s Game’, and played a string of shows including a short UK tour and a set at The Long Road which was one of our highlights of the weekend, full of passion, tenderness and incredible vocals.
Whilst they were at the festival, I sat down with Michael and Tanya to chat about their Long Road experience, the response to ‘Lover’s Game’, performing at Glastonbury, working with Zach Bryan on his song ‘Hey Driver’, what’s next for them and more.
How have you found the festival so far?
Tanya: Oh, the festival’s amazing. It’s a lot of fun, the people are wonderful, the audiences are exceptional. It’s been really, really great.
How do you find performing at festivals compared to playing your own shows?
Michael: It’s so rewarding to do both. And I think festivals, some people know, some don’t, and they’re there to check you out and see what’s going on. Whereas your own shows, they’re literally there for you. But I love the festival atmosphere because it’s family, fun, friends, and then they get to discover something new. And we get to discover something new with them. It’s a give-and-give situation.
You released your latest album ‘Lover’s Game’ back in March. What’s the response to the record been like?
Tanya: It’s been wonderful. A lot of doors have opened for us. We’ve been embraced by the country community, and our Americana community of course has always been there supporting us. But it’s been really good to see how that record and what we do has… I’m not gonna say accepted by country music, but embraced by country music. And the origin of gospel music, which I like to compare the gospel sound with Appalachian sound, and they kind of go hand in hand to be able to blend them into country music – gospel music into country music, as well as the way Appalachian music has been infused into country music. It’s really good to see it happening.
You worked with Dave Cobb on the album – how was it working with him?
Michael: Wonderful. Dave is so unique, and he’s such a great and awesome producer. It was a joy to work with him.
Were there any songs on the record that were particularly easy or particularly challenging in terms of the songwriting?
Michael: Super easy.
Tanya: Nothing is challenging for this man. He’s a writing machine! [laughs]
Michael: Super easy. I’ve been writing songs for eighty years now [chuckles] But I think the challenge was to connect and write with others in a natural way. But then once you find someone and you get into the rhythm it’s just easy, and my rhythm is writing with my wife. And we had fun writing one song with Dave Barnes, and then letting Beau Bedford write one song on his own. But everything else just comes out of the household of Michael and Tanya.
Did you learn anything from this project that you’re going to take forward into any future music or performing?
Tanya: The one thing that I would say we learned from this project is to say true to who you are. Say true to what got you where you are and what got you what you have. I think it’s OK for you to grow as an artist and to change and experiment, but I also think it’s very important for you to stay true to the essence of who you are.
You’ve recently been out touring the UK as well as performing at Long Road. What is a typical War and Treaty live show like?
Michael: You know, if we’re in a building we wanna make you feel like you’re under a tent. Floorboards, stomping, hand clapping, tambourines, revival-like. Again, we wanna pull you in and show you how we love. So harmonies, intimacy, flirtatious playing on stage. We just wanna be real and show you why you’re in each other’s lives.
I did want to ask you how the dynamic of being a married couple who also perform together feeds into your music and your creativity…
Tanya: It doesn’t separate itself. You know, the one thing about us is what you see is what you get, so how we are in our marriage is how we are in music. There’s really no way to separate the two, it’s all the same. We disagree, and we disagree the same way whether it’s with our kids or with a marriage issue. It’s the same. So everything we do is very passionate and very honest.
You got to perform at Glastonbury last year – how was that?
Michael: Insane.
Tanya: It was crazy! [laughs]
Michael: It was awesome.
Tanya: It really was.
Michael: It was a dream come true, a bucket list. Can’t wait to get back.
And you’ve also got a song on Zach Bryan’s new album [‘Hey Driver’]. Can you tell us how that collaboration came about and what it was like working with him?
Tanya: Oh, Zach Bryan. Let me just say, he’s a force. What he’s been able to do, by himself, in music – I’m sure he has a wonderful team, but his honesty really is something that we look up to.
Michael: Totally.
Tanya: But we met him at the ACM Awards after we performed and everyone was ready to go home, and he ran up to us. He was so excited. And Michael and him have a connection because they both served.
Michael: Brother in arms.
Tanya: Yeah, brother in arms in the service of the United States of America.
Michael: We both do what we want [laughs].
Tanya: Yeah, they both do what they want, you can’t tell ’em what they’re not gonna do! And it was wonderful. We exchanged numbers, and he wanted us to do a song with him, and he kept his word. He gave us a call and told Michael he wanted us to put our voices on this voice memo. And we did that. And he put it up on the internet a couple of days later. And then maybe a couple of months later we flew to Philadelphia to record the song with him, and months later it’s out, the Zach Bryan way! [laughs] Because that’s what he does. So that’s been wonderful.
Does this year feel like it’s been a big breakthrough for you both? Because I feel like you’ve just done so much in the last 12 months or so…
Michael: It definitely feels like it’s been a breakthrough year. But more than anything, we just feel so grateful to be creating music in this day and age, and to be able to come over here and go where we go with our music. Again it’s just a dream come true.
Have there been any particular highlights?
Michael: This is one. I’ll tell you that right now, this is one. And last year at the ACMs, being able to perform and being nominated for an Academy of Country Music Award, we’re nominated for a People’s Choice Country Music Award. But I think I can speak for Tanya on this, I think the highlight is seeing our children’s appreciation for what we do. That’s very rare that you get a chance to see that, until later in life when their understanding and they’re a bit older. But from 12 years old, our son and our 19 year old and our 21 year old and our 26 year old, they’re seeing the appreciation, and they’re appreciating what we do. They’re constantly telling us, “Mom, Dad, that was awesome!” And that’s been the highlight this year for us.
Is there anything that’s still on the bucket list for you? Places you’d want to play, people you’d like to work with and so on?
Tanya: Oh, if I start naming names of people we wanna work with and venues we wanna play… I mean the Royal Albert Hall…
Michael: Thank you Tanya for stealing my… I had the dream…
Tanya: Yeah, Michael has a dream about that.
Michael: I want to be so musically influential that the King invites me and Tanya to come and play for him in the Royal Albert Hall! [both laugh] Like, it is my dream! [laughs] Yes, baby. That would be such a dream come true. You know, we’re getting close – President Obama did put us on his summer playlist…
Tanya: And we got to go to the White House recently.
Michael: And meet President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill.
Tanya: That was a major…
Michael: Or Dr Jill Biden, shall we say.
Tanya: [chuckles] Yeah.
What’s next for you over the next six months to a year or so?
Tanya: Of course we’re always working on new music. We’re in the process of releasing two new songs. So really just from this point until the end of the year, closing out the shows and meeting fans and really just trying to cultivate the relationship that we have with our fans, and releasing new music.
Is there a song in your career that you’re particularly proud of?
Tanya: Ooh.
Michael: I’m personally proud of our albums, and particularly this album called ‘Hearts Town’ [released in 2020]. So many people are coming up and telling us that they have a strong connection with ‘Hearts Town’ and it got them through a pandemic. And that’s honourable, that it’s touched so many lives.
And lastly – have you got plans to come back to the UK after this trip?
Tanya: Oh yes! We’re calling our booking agent right now.
Michael: You have no idea how badly we want to come back.
Tanya: As soon as we finish this interview! [laughs] We hope to come back next year.
The War and Treaty’s latest album, ‘Lover’s Game’, is out now on Mercury Nashville/UMG Recordings Inc.
