The War and Treaty fully immersed themselves in the Nashville community when they recorded and released last year’s Plus One album.
“We wanted to make sure that Nashville knew that we weren’t hands-off: We’re here now, and we know there’s a Nashville way,
but we also know that Nashville’s got something to offer, and we’ve got something to offer Nashville,” the War and Treaty’s Michael Trotter told Rolling Stone then, detailing how they played the Grand Ole Opry, toured all the country music museums, and collaborated with Music Row songwriters.
But the husband-and-wife duo say they didn’t get the return on their investment. “Absolutely not. Don’t ever do it. Any artist watching this, don’t you do that,” Tanya Trotter tells Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast.
After dropping a pair of albums, including 2025’s Plus One, under the Universal Music Group Nashville umbrella, the War and Treaty released their new LP, The Story of Michael and Tanya, on Atlantic Outpost, Atlantic’s new Americana-leaning imprint (Charley Crockett reissued his indie album Clovis via the label earlier this month).
“The War and Treaty, in true nature, we are definitely one-million percent an Americana band. And the country music establishment latched on,” Michael says, running through a list of artists who have found success without indulging in Music Row rituals. “Tyler Childers, Charley Crockett, Sierra Ferrell — there is no reason why these artists should not always be named when you’re speaking of country.”
The Grammy-nominated duo say they’re done competing in anyone else’s game. “There’s always a game to play, but you don’t always have to play the game,” Michael says, adding that when it comes to recording songs for country radio, he looks to a north star: Ray Charles and the 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.
“For me and Tanya… country music for me begins with Ray Charles. That’s a strong truth,” he says. “Whether people like it or not, that album saved country music.” Watch their full interview above.
Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone’s weekly country-music podcast, Nashville Now, hosted by Deputy Editor, Head of Country Joseph Hudak, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts). New episodes drop every Wednesday and feature interviews with artists and personalities like Vince Gill, Lainey Wilson, Shaboozey, Hardy, Charley Crockett, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Kings of Leon, Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, the Black Crowes, Carly Pearce, Amy Grant, Luke Grimes, Brandon Lake, Breland, Low Cut Connie, Bryan Andrews, Noeline Hofmann, Adam Mac, Devon Gilfillian, Gavin Adcock, Amanda Shires, Shooter Jennings, Margo Price, Michaela Anne, Ink, Ne-Yo, Rival Sons’ Jay Buchanan, Halestorm, Dusty Slay, Lukas Nelson, Ashley Monroe, Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor, Clever, Love on the Spectrum‘s Tyler White, Willie Nelson scholar John Spong, and authors Marissa R. Moss, Josh Crutchmer, Mark Gray, and Jonathan Bernstein.
Click here to read the full article.
