“We moved to Nashville,” Tanya Trotter told the audience in their recent appearance at The Barns at Wolf Trap, to play “the country gospel.” Tanya and her husband, Michael, make up the Grammy-nominated duo The War and Treaty. They recently appeared for the first of two nights at the venue, and it was a meaty set that rocked harder than you might think for music that meets the description of country gospel.
As AllMusic describes, the duo makes “impassioned soul music that draws on country, R&B, traditional folk, and spirituals, often combining them all.” As Michael put it, he wrote “Carried Away” to “smash together D’Angelo and Hank Williams.” They’ve recorded (“Hey Driver,” for which they were joined by opening act Thunderstorm Artis) and shared stages with country phenomenon Zach Bryan and the late John Prine, and appeared at AmericanaFest. “Love Like Whiskey,” which Michael said is “a true story,” was cowritten with Miranda Lambert.
There’s a lot of spirituality in The War and Treaty’s music. Introducing “Skyscraper” on Oct. 21, Michael said, “my life ain’t perfect, but at the end of the day, I’m a skyscraper because of God’s love.” (I think of myself as more of a fire hydrant; this is a joke about our relative heights.) They channel the energy of the Black Church as well as its participatory, call-and-response nature. Before “Save Me,” Tanya called for “a revival in here;” earlier, Michael said, “I’m not here to sing to you, I’m here to sing with you.” They ended their set on that theme with “Can I Get an Amen.”
Another major theme in many of their songs is their love for one another. The set included “I Can’t Let You Go,” “Love Is On Fire,” “Are You Ready to Love Me,” and “Stealing a Kiss.” In contrast to the rest of the set, the rest of the band left the stage while they did an intimate performance of “Please Don’t Give Up on Me.” Tanya nodded to her local roots with “Feels Like Home,” and they also played “Tunnel Vision,” “Ain’t No Harmin’ Me,” “‘Till the Morning,” “Save Me,” and “Five More Minutes.”
Watch the official music video for “Five More Minutes” by The War and Treaty on YouTube:
The other day, I joked with an acquaintance about the “why I write” question, “not to channel your mental illness safely?” Music has helped Michael heal. A veteran who served in Iraq, when he met Tanya, he was living with — but had not identified — PTSD. She helped him understand what he was going through, and “put her life on hold for three years” to help him heal.
Second-generation artist Thunderstorm Artis opened the show. He’s the son of Ron Artis, one of 11 kids, six boys and five girls. He opened with a song that I think might’ve been called “Old River Man.” “Out of the Bue” is about his wife, who he met “when he was on The Voice” and “neither of us were looking for love,” and married after a whirlwind romance of just a few months, as is “Useless.” “Dance on Wavers,” which he got to play at the Ryman, is about how “some days I’m the ocean and she’s the clouds.” Introducing “Don’t Let Me Let You Go,” he said, “Falling in love is easy, but staying in love is a choice you make every day.”
Watch the official lyric video for “Dont’ Let Me Let You Go” by Thunderstorm Artis on YouTube:
In addition to his original songs, Artis performed covers by Bob Marley, George Gershwin (“Summertime,” from the musical Porgy & Bess), and The Beatles (“Yesterday” and “Blackbird”). Artis has a gorgeous voice, excels at performing both his own songs and interpreting others’, and has a warm, pleasant stage presence.
Speaking of stage presence, The War and Treaty bring loads of it: I think some folks in the audience were a little surprised by the intensity of their performance, but they won the sold-out crowd over with their great songs and their passion.
Here are some photos of The War and Treaty performing live at The Barns at Wolf Trap on Oct. 21, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
Here are some photos of Thunderstorm Artis opening The War and Treaty at The Barns at Wolf Trap on Oct. 21, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
