Band/Album Project Conundrum

I’m new here but I have a band/album project conundrum that I was hoping to maybe get some additional perspective(s) on (or at the very least, get to vent about).

As a bit of background, I play part-time in a worship band. We have a 4-piece rhythm section (keyboards, drums, bass, myself on guitar) and a rotating group of singers depending on who’s available. I’ve played with this band for 4 years. The worship music is kind of pop-rock with mild to moderate EDM elements; my own background is in blues and rock ’n’ roll — I'm not into EDM or modern pop music myself — but usually what I play meshes with the band’s arrangements (and when it doesn’t, I just turn myself down or sit out that particular song altogether).

About two years ago, two of the singers, who have a non-worship project separate from the worship band and had taken a shine to my playing, invited me to guest on a YouTube video. It went pretty smoothly. A few months later, they approached me about joining their duo and making an album/EP of original material together. Their background is in EDM and modern hip-hop/R&B but they wanted to fuse their style with my bluesier/rock style. Although my tastes are mostly rooted in music from the ‘80s and earlier, I was curious as to how to mix my playing into a more modern context.

The album project started out pretty promisingly, with everyone contributing ideas. However, over time, I have perceived that one of the singers’ has been gradually dominating the project (while the other singer goes along with it). Initially, the dominant singer would repeatedly reject others’ song ideas (mine more than the other singer’s), while pushing and lauding his own ideas. To be fair, we did still collaborate on writing and arranging many of the songs, with one of them being largely (re)written by me after they played me a demo of them singing a melody over Wilson Pickett’s “I’m In Love” (in order to avoid any copyright wrangles). Not long after, the dominant singer started singing to me the guitar parts he was hearing for the songs. I’m open to ideas and collaboration, so I went along with it while also contributing ideas I also had. Later, when listening to the rough mixes for our songs (the main singer does the production work himself on a DAW), I noticed a pattern where the guitar parts he would come up with for me to play would be mixed fairly prominently, while the parts I came up with on my own (either as riffs, solos, or harmony parts, or even bass guitar parts I played) were mixed way low or out completely. I got pretty upset with him after almost a year of working on the album and called him out on this, to which he explained that he wasn’t intentionally mixing out the parts I came up with but rather that he wasn’t familiar with mixing guitars (he himself mostly plays keyboards, synthesizers, and software instruments) or with my musical background. It seemed fair enough and I figured I was being unreasonable. He offered to collaborate on the mixing process and said he was open to feedback.

Fast-forward a year later and the album is 90% complete. However, the dominant singer’s behaviours have persisted, if not intensified. My partner commented on how she could barely hear me, except for brief snatches of 2-5 seconds, when I played her rough mixes of some of the songs (and she's not a fan of guitar-based music, to begin with). I still haven’t been invited to collaborate on the mixing process. I've given up adding overdubs, since most of what I contribute doesn't seem to make it to the final mix. The dominant singer has solicited ideas for other aspects of the project like the album title, promotional campaign, etc., but always goes with the original idea he comes up with. I’m increasingly finding it futile to contribute anything without being repeatedly told something to the effect of, “I 100% agree with you, but [insert idea of his] makes more sense. Still, we’ll maybe use your idea for the next album.” It really feels like his solo album, with me playing the role of a session guitarist.

The natural solution would be for me to quit the project. However, I worry about not being credited for my contributions to the songwriting and guitar playing if I do quit, since I'm on 90% of the album. I’m not doing this for money or recognition -- it's just nice to be able to play music in any realm now that Covid has taken away gig opportunities for the time being -- but I feel like I need to defend the principle of being credited for my hard work, whether it’s the composition or arrangement ideas I came up with (no matter how buried in the mix) or the work of playing them. So far, I’ve grit my teeth and promised myself I wouldn’t come back for a second album if this is how it's going to be but it’s still very frustrating and stressful.

Is it possible that I’m looking at this from the wrong perspective? Am I maybe being unreasonable?

 

Thanks for your replies! I appreciate your perspectives.

When I did the first collaboration for YouTube (before being approached about the album idea), I was strictly in the role of a hired gun. The only contribution I made to the decision making for that recording was to suggest less bass cut for the EQ of the acoustic guitar (which was a Gibson J-160E -- not a guitar that particularly needs less bass. Lol) For the album project, it was clear (at least verbally) that both singers wanted to include my musical "vision" along with theirs (in contrast to simply adding my parts as a session guy). In hindsight, I wish I had realized earlier that I was part of a solo project in all but name.

At the end of the day, there's really nothing stopping them from taking the credit for themselves, whether I stay or speak up or not. I guess the decision I have to make is whether to walk away from the project altogether and risk souring the relationships (which could also impact my standing with the worship band in which we played pre-Covid) or grit my teeth and carry on. It's just frustrating because it has increasingly felt like the only reason I'm in the project is because I own a guitar and amp.

 

That makes sense. Thank you (and everybody else) for your advice!

Believe me, I kind of miss how it was for the first video project when I cut my tracks over a two hour session and ran. Reminds me of a story I read about session drummer Yogi Horton (who played for Bob James and Luther Vandross, among others), where he showed up two hours late for a session, laid down the drums in one take, listened to a playback, grabbed his cheque, and ran.

 

Part of the problem is most of the suggestions I make are usually shot down (often in what I feel is a somewhat patronizing way, i.e. "GREAT idea, bro, but this is what we're gonna go with..."). However, if the dominant singer later comes up with the same idea, he/we will go with it. Then there's the other issue that he has taken on producing every aspect of the project himself and doesn't seem eager to delegate. He hired a videographer to shoot the footage for the leadoff single but edited the music video himself (despite his friend having substantial filmmaking credentials). I have largely given up contributing anything, which has probably only worsened his autocracy.

In the meantime, I've begun working on my own project, starting with a couple of my rejected songs and riffs from this project. I like the idea of the exit interview after completing this project.

 

Agreed. I am planning on toughing it out and then dissociating from the "band" thereafter. I came close to quitting a week ago after I was asked to provide a last minute overdub for one of the songs that was ultimately left out of the mix, despite the dominant singer calling my contribution "awesome" and "dope". This has been the pattern for the past year at least.