It’s not an exaggeration to say that music saved Michael Trotter Jr.’s life.

In the early 2000s, he was serving in the U.S. army, but struggling; while in Iraq, he came across a damaged piano, and his commanding officer—knowing Michael had some musical background—encouraged him to play. Later, that officer was killed in action, and Michael wrote a song for his memorial. He was encouraged to write more, and eventually pursued music full-time, which is how he met Tanya, a singer/actor who’d established her talents in Sister Act 2—duetting with Lauryn Hill on “His Eye is on the Sparrow”— and recordings of her own.

The two fell in love, and then into musical partnership: since 2014, they’ve made music together as Grammy-nominated duo The War and Treaty, blending americana, country, gospel, soul, and pop—sometimes all within the same song.

“We wanted to give what we were feeling,” Michael explains. “What we've learned is to be done with the genres—creating based on what you feel, how you feel, and why you feel it.”

“We're very grateful for where we are now,” Tanya adds.

Their latest album, Plus One, is the finest example of their talents so far: its 18 songs jump around in style without ever sacrificing substance, anchored throughout by the Trotters’ matching powerhouse vocals. It doesn’t shy away from difficulty in its subject matter, but carries an overall jubilance—the sense that love can carry you through.

The intimacy of married life overlaps with their musical partnership, they note: when it comes to writing, the two share their creative processes openly.

“Usually I bring it straight to Tanya,” Michael says, of developing a song idea. “Tanya will then make sure that it's something that she wants to say. Usually when Tanya comes to me, she has an idea and she either wants me to finish it, or she just wants to throw me ideas so I could [decide if we should] finish it or not.”

They’re touring with a five-piece band, capable of keeping up with the duo’s ranging musical prowess, and also capable of adjusting on the fly. The Trotters note they try to match the specific audience that’s with them on any given night.

“It’s great to be able to feel them, what people feel when they see you,” Tanya says. “You can look at the faces, you can see the tears and connect on a deeper level.

“That’s the beauty of being a band that isn’t in stadiums,” she continues, with Michael interjecting to add, “yet”. “You're able to feel [when the audience] is on the same wavelength with you.”

The War and Treaty play the Arden on Saturday, February 7th at 7:30 pm. Tickets and more information available at stalbert.ca/events/calendar/arden-theatre/war-treaty/.

Article written by Paul Blinov

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