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A
This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. It's Christmas Eve for those who celebrate and we hope you're happy, healthy and excited to spend some cozy time with your loved ones today like we do at the end of every year, we have a show for you of encore presentations, some of our most exciting conversations from the past year. To curate those selections, we normally look to the good tastes that keep the show running year round, the curatorial judgment of Team Olivet. But this year we wanted to try something different because if you're listening, we feel like it's a pretty safe bet that you have some pretty good taste too. So for this year's run of year end shows, we turn to our audience on Instagram. If you don't follow us yet, we're oflovenyc. And other than right here on the air, that's where we focus a lot of our energies to help the conversations have a life outside of this two hour time slot. You'll hear me say a lot that we want to bring you into the conversation and I really mean that. And Instagram is one of the main ways we're excited to hear from you. Today. We'll get into some of the excellent musical acts that got the most buzz on the Gram. A little later on, we'll hear from the Doobie Brothers about their induction into the Songwriters hall of Fame. We'll also hear some spicy banjo licks from Alison Brown and funnyman Steve Martin. And sax player lakeisha Benjamin play some of her Grammy nominated jazz tunes live from our studios. But first, here's a little War and Treaty, who dropped their latest album plus one, on Valentine's Day of this year. Fitting, giving that the front man and front woman are a married couple, Tanya and Michael Trotter. The music is deeply influenced and infused with love in all its forms. They're Grammy nominees, American music award winners, movies being made about them, but the simple fact is they make great music. When they joined us here in WNYC's music studio, I start by asking Tanya and Michael to introduce themselves and their bandmates, of course.
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I'm Tanya Trotter.
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C
I'm Michael.
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D
Hello.
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B
We're the one Treaty. And these are. This is our amazing band.
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C
This is Slim Home Keys. And then there's Max Brown on guitar over there.
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B
Yeah. And Tom Davis on bass right there.
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C
And back there, all caged up is Bam on the drums.
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A
All right, you're gonna play our first song for us. What are we gonna hear?
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C
Can I get a amen? Amen Amen let's do it.
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Rocking without a sympathy.
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Listen.
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Sunday morning she's a bonafide preacher Laying hands all over me Monday morning she's a certified.
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Teacher I'm the lesson that she loves.
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To teach Tuesday she's a race car driver 80 burning every curve Driving me crazy look on Wednesday can't get enough of her and I put her first I put her first Can I get an amen? Can I get an amen?
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Man.
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Can I get an 8 million? Can I get an amen? I said get an amen oh, giving you the best that we got yeah Come on Tidy on the after working one long hot day out with the.
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B
Boys Turning up on Fridays getting all.
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D
Playing games and stays end of the week you can catch him on a Saturday Right here laying next to me Just the way we like it Peace and quiet he's everything that I need and I put him first Said I could impass Can I get an Amen? Put my family over everything Shout it out if it's you Can I get an amen? Can I get an Amen? From the streets to the country roads back can't argue in the truth Amen, baby got it gone Little mama so strong, right? No mama wrong Amen I've been singing all night long I'm high as a drone Hallelujah Strutting in my cowboy boots on my arm is my baby so fly Amen Growing up Juices in the sky that you gotta draw in my life When I would him first yes, baby I would hear Can I get it? Amen Everything Shout it out if it's you Can I get it? Amen not bad dog T swinging from my neck for the real I've been blow up Can I get it at me Got faith in the T Always gas still drink a beer from the streets to the Can I get an amazing New York, New York Can I get it? Amen. Can I get an amen? That's how the 1, 2, 3 can I get an amen?
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Amen Can I just tell you how many times can I say it?
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That's the war and treaty.
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E
You know, I was sitting there listening and I was thinking, they produced this record at the Fame studios, right? It's a muscle shoal sound. How does making a record there influence how it sounds, Tanya?
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B
Well, I mean, the history. When you think of that room and you think of all the people that have had the opportunity to stand behind that booth and what they brought, you know, so the going in the door immediately, the standards are high. Not Just the singers, but the musicians that have also, you know, played in that room. And it just changes how you approach your songs, and it changes how you come into your sessions. You know, there's a reverence in that building. And so us and our band, what we brought to that was that reverence. And, you know, we're very excited that we had an opportunity to record it there.
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A
Michael, the New York Times profile said, here's the headline. The Warren Treaty are writing their love story into country music history. Why do you think country music is a good vehicle for telling your personal story?
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C
Well, I think it's always a good vehicle when it's an opportunity to tell a different story. I think that's the key and the goal here. I think so many people believe country music is one way it looks this one way it represents this one thing. And what Ty and I do is we're bringing the representation, but also we're doing a return. Our journey with country music began with Ray Charles, you know, and then country music's journey itself. A lot of people, you know, they go way back with the banjo, but if you will go and you look at some of those stories that the Carter family have, and sitting with those black families and those black farmers and just those black southerners, they are the originators of country music. And they looked exactly like Tanya and I.
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E
The banjo came from Africa.
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C
Absolutely. Absolutely.
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E
Tanya, before the Warren Treaty, you were soloist.
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Working in.
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Soloist, Excuse me, working in R and B and gospel. What was your move into country music? Was it intentional? Was it something just came and found you?
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B
I would have to say that country music, it found me. I mean, as Michael said, it's always been storytelling, and the truth has always been the foundation of gospel music, you know, So I think that I've always had my foot in what I know as traditional storytelling. And the country music industry just found Michael and I, you know, we were. We moved from Michigan, and we didn't even really know that there was a such thing called the Americana genre. We were just doing music that we loved. And Alamed Michigan introduced to the blues, you know, all over again. It's not that we didn't know it, but it really ignited something different in us. And so we infused the blues and the gospel, and it just happened to have certain instruments in there that lean into country music. So I think that the country music genre, it really found us and welcomed us with open arms because of the. Maybe the soulful sounds that are on top of instruments that people may not, you know, have heard those Voices collaborate with. In this era.
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Yeah.
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As I say, three quarters.
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Yeah.
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Right.
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Yes.
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A
You're listening to my conversation with Tanya and Michael Trotter together with their band, they're called the War and Treaty. The album is called Plus One. We'll hear some more music in just a minute. This is all of it. This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Welcome back. Let's return to my Valentine's Day conversation with the band the War and Treaty, fronted by married couple Tanya and Michael Trotter. You may have seen them at the lighting of the Holiday Tree in Rock center, but before that, they were in our studio. We're going to hear them perform their song the Glorious Ones, a hymnal inspired track that Michael and Tanya wrote for each other. Before we hear the music, though, I asked Michael why they wanted to make this the last track on their album. Plus One.
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Good. Great question. Thanks for asking. Because at the end of the day, at the end of all my days, it's just she and I. And that's what makes my life glorious at the moment. And it doesn't get no better than that.
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All right, well, let's hear it. This is the Glorious Ones from the War and Treaty.
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All right. Max Brown on acoustic guitar.
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Yeah.
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Tom Davis on bass. Bam. On drums, Slim on keys. Let's go, y'.
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All. I don't know Day all hours.
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When.
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This old body will lose power But I'm here Second try Walking with you by my side do you see.
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Far.
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We'Ve come to broken hearts Become one Like a screaming ego Shining the sun I have found love in a glorious.
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One let's go now.
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Can you hear the breath in the trees Cooling us Wind, it's cool breeze Finding May black and the thunder May rol I have my mind down in my soul and with lights dim we'll take our rest and fade off in the sunset May our story be shine in the land Lander the Glorious one in the lander the Glorious one In the land Glorious One.
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A
That's the War and Treaty singing the Glorious Ones off their new album. It is called Plus One. So I think there are 18 songs on the record.
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B
Yes.
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A
Okay. So what went into that choice?
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B
Well, we had a lot of songs. I mean, we recorded, I believe, 60 songs, maybe more.
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A
60?
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Yeah.
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There's getting laughs from over here.
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Yeah.
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So there's like a double. A double vinyl when you buy the record. We recorded a lot of songs.
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There's a bus flowing through here somewhere and I'm being thrown under.
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Yeah. Michael's feet are hanging it from under the bus. Yeah.
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So, Michael, what went into that choice?
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A love of the music.
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A
Yeah.
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And a lack of somebody telling me to stop. That's what that is. Yeah. I. E. Tonya.
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Yeah. He can't be stopped when he's in a riding zone. That's it.
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Yeah. Well, you also are producers on the record.
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Yeah.
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Which means you get to make those kinds of decisions.
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That's right.
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See?
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So what is a sonic decision? A decision you made that seemed a little risky.
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It is risky.
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That's risky.
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Yes. I don't know. I think in a time where people who play it safe lose, we're seeing it. We're seeing it in everyday life and the war and treaty. We're not a safe band. We take risk, whether it be musical risk or whether it be a fashion risk, you know, we take those risks and we take them proudly. And at the end of the day, we take those risks because they're honest. That's all.
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In terms of producing the album. Tonya, what does it say to you that you're at a place where you want to produce your own music versus just songwriting and handing it in?
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Well, I think it says growth and it says that you. I don't think you. I think you, over time, you do learn to trust yourself, you know, as a musician, as an artist and now co producer on a lot of our projects. It's growing into trusting yourself, you know, because it does seem easier to just write a bunch of songs and give it to someone and let them nurture it into the world. But when you decide that you kind of know what it sounds like, you want to know what your mixes sound like. You want to know. You want to give the freedom to your band to be creative as well. And sometimes you don't have that with the musicians.
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They're not that good.
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Yeah.
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You know, you want to have. You want the freedom. I think it says that you. You've grown into a place where you really just want to have the freedom to have what it is that you write and you create to sound the way that you want it to sound when it comes, when it hits the ear wave of your fans.
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But also, I'm the producer.
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Yes, he is.
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It was me.
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Oh, side eye.
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It was.
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I was straight up side eye.
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It is not Tanya. Tanya.
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They're solid because they know Tanya's the.
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Co. Like, wait a little bit. Like, a little itty bitty. Like we say co, like softly. Yeah, but I'm the producer.
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Our producer.
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I get all of this at 3:00am.
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In the morning, but only if this project fails is she the actual producer.
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Understood?
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Yeah. If it doesn't work, then I'll take.
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What did you, as a producer, what.
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Did you learn about the way the war and treaty have grown?
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I like to now defer this question to Tommy. No, you can use the word growth.
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Use the word growth.
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I'll tell you what. I produced our album called Heartstown. Completely different experience. I think the first thing that I have learned is that I. That no producer knows what they're really doing without a cast. And for me, Tanya is my supporting cast in everything. But I got another brain, another side of my brain when it comes to producing, and that is the. The side that is irritating and throbbing. And it's. Its name is Max Brown. So he's right there, and he. You know, he's. He. He is someone who you have to get out of the way and in the way at the same time, and that's what makes it all work. And then with your musicians, you have to literally tell them, you know, be you. Especially this group. This group, they like to think they know what they're doing when they go in the studio and producing, and then they're, like, playing all safe and quiet. And so I'm like, what in the heck are y' all doing? Like, go for it. Like, be yourself, you know? But the biggest lesson in all of this is this one thing. Always let Tanya lead. You won't fail.
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He's getting brownie points right now.
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No brownie point. No brownie point. I'm actually being extremely serious.
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Oh, you are? Okay.
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I haven't failed in life when that has happened. And I think Harshtown was a failure, in my opinion, because I have a hashtag called Mortania, and I think that that is a very important hashtag to have. More Tanya in the story, more Tanya in speaking, more Ty in her fashion, as you so kindly are wearing one of Tanya's designs that she didn't even acknowledge. You see how I do?
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I don't have my glasses on, so.
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I have to make sure that's a nice excuse.
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Thank you.
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We're talking about a voice of our time. In my opinion, Tanya is one of the greatest, if not the greatest vocalists that I believe needs some time to shine. So our next project, pie for me is the hashtag moretanya.
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Aw, that's so sweet, honey.
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So let's talk fashion while we're here.
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Let's talk fashion.
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She loves vintage dot com. Do you still run it?
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I do Yes. I took a break from it to make this record because it's another child, you know, you have to dedicate a lot of time. And then we have the tour coming up. But once the tour starts, we'll have. Thank you so much for wearing it too.
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I am wearing it. She loves vintage shirts.
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Yes.
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We'll have all the merch and everything. So I'm very excited about that as well.
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All right. We're talking to the war and treaty. You know, there's a song on the album called I Can't Let yout Go. And it busts out and then it rocks out. And then you have, like, spoken word and rap at the end. What led you to that sort of shift in the.
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In the album?
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It's like, whoa, wait a minute.
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You know, it's very strategic. Okay. As a producer, I'm going back to that. It's very strategic who you have in the studio as your musicians and. And so many producers. They don't want your band. And I think that's what makes me special, because I want my band. I can't see me doing anything without Bam. Slim Tom, Max, period. But they invoke something in me. They bring out that guy. They do the way they play their swag. Sometimes they do certain things and it's. It points me to an old life. I used to. I mean, I still do. I'm a hip hop head. Like. I mean, we in New York, baby. Like the greatest MCs ever resonate from here. And that was a side of me to where I write a lot of poetry and I write a lot of rhymes. And the way they were just doing it, I was like, man, I'm gonna have to spit right here. Like, might not be that good. Cause we have an emcee in the band right there.
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Bam.
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You know. But I ran it all through him, Slim Tom. And that's what did it for me. Yeah, I was like, I got Pop Dakota on this one.
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E
I wanted to talk about the movie in the works. It's produced by John Legend. Right. How did that opportunity come up, Tanya?
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B
Well, let me think. Okay. So we were in Nashville, and a friend of ours, he actually. No, I'm sorry. Let me backtrack. We were in Connecticut and we were doing. Let Me Go. Andrew Gold. Let Me Go say His Name. We were there doing. And Andrew came to our show, and we thought he was coming to see the show, but we started telling our story. And Andrew was like, one second, let me get my tape recorder. He had this big old tape recorder from like the 1960s. And he pushed play, and he started listening to our story. So he'd taken that to his brother's roommate. I'm going somewhere.
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I got you. Okay. His brother's roommate. I'm with you.
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B
Who happened to be. I believe it was Will. Will McCormick. They went to college together. And Will is a writer. And I think Will and Craig. Craig did Dallas Buyers Club. Will did all kinds of Toy Story 4. Yeah, Toy Story 4 projects.
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C
With Rashida Jones.
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Yeah, with Rashida Jones. And let them hear our story from this cassette. And so they got on the phone, they were like, we want to do a story on you guys. And we were just kind of blowing it off. We're like, yeah, yeah. Some Hollywood producers and writers are, like, wanting to do a story on Little Mo sitting in Nashville. And so they flew to Nashville and they had a studio. They set Michael and I down in front of a camera, and we sat there and told our story for about three, four hours, I believe. Yeah, it was about three or four hours. And maybe a couple of weeks later, they were like, hey, we have a couple other people who want to come on board. We met Harvey Mason Jr. At that time.
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Well, first. I'm sorry, I interject. Honey, we got to make sure we get this right.
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First.
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Gary Gilbert.
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Gary Gilbert, yes.
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And Gary Gilbert is special to the story because he and John Legend actually partnered to give us what we know as La La Land.
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Yeah.
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So that's the mute. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And then came Harvey.
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And then came Harvey. Harvey Mason Jr.
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Yes, and then Harvey.
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And then Harvey brought on John Legend. He called us one day, and he was like, hey, I think I have somebody who really wants to be involved in this project. And, of course, you know, John has done some incredible things with film and theater and all the different things. And we were like, oh, my God.
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John Legend get in trouble if we don't do this.
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Yeah.
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John Legend's partner, first off.
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Yes.
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One of them is Mike Jackson, who listens to you all the time. So I would.
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Hi, Mike.
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Mike is the producing partner in Get Lifted Films. And so. And then Ty. So the three of them. Yeah, yeah. And that's how they.
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B
And that's how it happened. And so John Legend is a part of the film. He'll be producing it along with Gary Gilbert. And. And it just all ties in because our son's name's Legend and Michael.
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That's right. John Legend's one of my favorite artists.
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A
Yeah.
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And shout out to Numa Perrier, who is our director. She's a phenomenal director who Oprah named as the next and she is our actual director.
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E
So when is it gonna come out?
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Well, you know, it's a very interesting thing that I'm gonna tell you, but it's coming. We're actually moving now into the casting phase, so I'm super excited about it. We've been batting some as to who could play me and then who could play Tanya. And I won't say much about this, but I will say this. Here's the tag. The war brought him music. Music brought him love. And the film is actually called the War and Treaty.
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B
Yeah.
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What would a person watching this film take away from your love story? Tonya Resilience. Interesting.
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It's a love story. Love story about resilience.
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What would you say?
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Fight. I would say fight for your right to exist, your right to your healing and fight for love.
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A
That was my conversation with the Warren Treaty about their latest album Plus One, which dropped on Valentine's Day of this past year. Up next, sax player and band leader Lakeisha Benjamin talks about her Grammy nominated album Phoenix Reimagined live. She brought her horn and her bandmates to the studio to share some music with us that is coming up after a short break. This is all of it.
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