The War and Treaty bring its sound to Lensic, KiMo Theatre

The War and Treaty was created in 2014 by husband-and-wife Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter after the two were desperate for a change in their lives.

The Trotters spent their days working, feeling like life was passing them by. The pair had grown up singing and one day, the two were singing together when someone told them their sound meshed together beautifully.

“They said ‘Wow, y’all sound great together, y’all should just take that on the road’ and we did,” Michael Trotter said.

After years of work, everything paid off. The pair received their first Duo of the Year nomination from the Country Music Association, Vocal Duo nomination from the Academy of Country Music, plus recognition by the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame among other accolades. They were also able to open for musical legends like Al Green, Chris Stapleton, John Legend and Van Morrison.

The duo will bring their sounds to Santa Fe at The Lensic Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, May 13. The duo will also make a stop in Albuquerque next month at the KiMo Theatre on June 2.

The Trotters focus on a variety of music genres, from blues and jazz to gospel and R&B, but found their path after their major label debut country album, “Lover’s Game,” received critical praise as the two continue to push the boundaries on what people consider country music.

The War and Treaty have a large focus on love, from their love of music to their love with each other.

“We are a husband-and-wife singing duo, and we represent love,” said Michael Trotter. “We sing about peace and love, and we base our songs off of things we love or the love for each other and people and humanity.”

While the Trotters love performing all of their songs and feel that because of their diversity, there isn’t one song that defines them, “Love Like Whiskey” is one of their favorite songs to bring to any venue.

“I get excited before ‘Love Like Whiskey’ because we get to go into the crowd and love on people, and we get whiskey shots, so it’s pretty cool,” Michael Trotter said.

Through it all, the Trotter family loves being able to share their talent and love for music with the world, and feel it’s an honor to be able to spend their days with each other as they travel the country.

“With our journey, it’s about healing,” Tanya Trotter told NPR in an interview. “I think that we heal each other in different ways, whether it’s through our love, whether it’s through listening, whether it’s through comforting each other when we need to be comforted. And we wanted to extend that hand to our fan base, just being vulnerable and letting them know that it’s okay.”