spin_along wrote:
But when they *realize* I'm a girl, the picture changes completely. Suddenly I don't have that "potential" anymore. Suddenly, I shouldn't be in the band, I don't deserve to be playing a guitar at all. It turns to "what the heck is that girl doing in the band?". Or even, on the "lighter" side of things, it's ok if I never get better, 'cause you just can't expect a girl to be a good guitarist, right?

Yeah, we're all equal... right.

 Its a shame they still think that way in Brazil...or anywhere for that matter.

There have been a ton of female rockers over the decades, hell...I grew up listening to Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Heart, Fleetwood Mac...Vixen...babes in toyland.

This man says don't listen to them and fight for your dreams. .hardwork.

Sorry to bump to this old thread (well, it's not so old), but I just want to voice out my opinion. I have to admit that if SCANDAL just stuck to rock, or whatever some of the fans think to be rock, I would have never been their fan. The main reason why I became and choose to be their fan is because of their musical diversity. I get easily bored of an artist especially if they repeat the same thing over and over again. I don't care if this artist sold a million or even a billion copies. If there are no new material worth listening to then you're out of my list. My opinion won't even harm the sales anyway since I'm just one person anyway. Just a matter of taste.

And oh, I beg to differ to some that say that they have reached their pinnacle (aka Shoujo S or Shunkan or whatever song that is). No, they haven't, and I'm glad they haven't... yet. Because that means that they can still push further up! I know they will. I will always love the SCANDAL of their indie days, but I also love the SCANDAL now. I can't really imagine them staying as what they are back then. That would stunt their growth as musicians!

As for the sexism thing, I have to admit I have sexist tendencies, but at a different perspective. I would have never taken SCANDAL seriously if they are all guys. Hahaha! Totally the reverse of most people (But still, I should stop being like this).  I would have just listened to a few of their songs and enjoy the music, but not become a fan. Male bands for me are so common, I take them for granted. But I would respect them as musicians because they know their stuff. 

Also from experience, it's not just the guys that are being sexist about an all-girl band playing rock, pop rock, pop and everything in between, sadly gals also put down fellow gals, believing that girls should just be classified as follows: a female vocal solo or in an idol group. I think SCANDAL went through a lot before making this far. That's why I salute them for being strong and just shrugging off, or even laughing at the bad comments about them being a girl band.

And another thing, at which most of us already know, is that part of what made SCANDAL popular was unfortunately or fortunately (? I'm having mixed feelings for this), is their looks. Their looks is like a double-edge sword for them. Their looks may catch the attention of the general public, but this also hinders in process of them to be taken seriously. Somehow, I'm also saddened by the way some fans reacted to Taiyou Scandalous and PHS. Some of the comments were unnecessary and just plain rude, it's not logical anymore. Sure, they are pop tunes and these singles are not at the top of my list, but to say that they are going to ditch their instruments just because they danced in a single PV without their instruments is just wrong. It was like some are already waiting for SCANDAL to make that move and then rant out. That was totally uncalled for.  

Personally, I've experienced what spin_along experienced, but in a different way. I know how to play guitar and whenever I see a guitar, I look for its owner and ask if they'll allow me to play it. Some even say, "You know how to play guitar?" I'll just flatly say "Yes." and play the guitar. Also, since my calluses disappear so easily, and my hands are small, they could never imagine that I can play guitar.

There's nothing wrong with a girl playing a guitar or any rock band instrument is there? I think it's pretty cool in fact!

But back to the topic, I think its good Scandal is trying out different sounds and maybe these influences will translate to something legendary in the future. All the great bands (IMO Led Zepp, Pink Floyd, Beatles etc) didnt just play the same old rock and roll after all they drew influences from everywhere!

I do love a thread like this. :D

Anyways,i agree with many of the points mentioned above, ie. SCANDAL wouldn't be as popular had they stuck purely to "rock" songs,they vary their styles from album to album,etc etc.

I myself,am a self-confessed rock fan.I prefer their "rockier" numbers,eg. Metronome,DOLL,Space Ranger,STANDARD,heck,even Love Survive (the bridge riff,man,the bridge riff!),and these type of songs have a much higer play count on my player as compared to their "poppier" numbers.

However,what qualifies as rock music differs from person to person.My favourite band of all time is Foo Fighters,hence i consider their kind of music to be rock/hard rock. Of course i would prefer every single and every album to sound like Times Like These, but that is too niche a move to make. What is rock to me may be considered hard rock to other people,and these other people may not like that kind of music. They have to try to appeal to people of all genres.

If SCANDAL, or any other band for that matter, do not constantly evolve their style of music,they will get branded as boring.If they keep on changing their style,they get branded as sell-outs,traitors to the spirit of rock 'n roll,no matter what genre they might try out. It's heads you win and tails i lose.

To answer the topic's question,i think if SCANDAL had stuck to playing purely rock/punk rock songs, they would not have been as popular,that much is true.

However,i do not imagine them to struggle as much as what some other people have projected for them; just look at FLiP,for instance. Contrary to popular(?) belief, rock has never been and never will be dead.

My honest opinion about Scandal stayed to the edgier, dirtier rock path is either they might still be the Indies, playing at clubs every weekend (but with cult following) or worse, they would have disbanded three years ago due to lack of distribution deal.

Sad to say that, major record label executives has the final word to say to the recording artists' musical direction and image almost all the time. There is no absolute freedom in the music industry in general. That's showbusiness, folks!

Wouldn't really go that far, most of the other rock girl bands have small followings and some have been around for a while.

I think an example to add onto MamiNoodle's point would be to look at STEREOPONY, and by an extent, EVANPONY. They tried going a little harder into the spectrum after releasing Chiisa na Mahou and Arigatou, which are relatively close to the style that SCANDAL is playing right now.

As you may or may not have known, STEREOPONY didn't last long moving in that direction. Take what you will from when they said that each of them "wanted to go in different directions" but I'd like to think that the style-shift was a contributing factor.

True but Stereopony had a lead singer that had throat surgery, Evanpony had a very different feel with the male singer.

Shonen Knife has been around since the early 80s, still around today.
The 5.6.7.8s, been around since the mid 80s. not majorly popular in Japan.
Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re, rockin since 1999
Chatmonchy formed a year'ish before Scandal, still doing rock
Flip also formed a year'ish before Scandal, are not popular yet still makes albums, hard rock.

So no, Scandal would still be around if they had chosen to play rock. Hopefully, they are playing what they WANT to play now, that would be all that actually matters.

My opinion is divided too as I read some comments above, but maybe my conclusion for them is like. . . They just want to engage music in more dynamic ways and not staying in one kind of genre. Yes they seems like the Rock genre within them are slowly vanishing, though they perform other genres well. SCANDAL is SCANDAL, They've known in their style of music, dynamic music, and they have many competitor artist too so they must SURVIVE in their own uniqueness and creativeness to other artists.
Maybe in their country j-pop reigns so as they live there they have also influenced by it, and the girls are not 1 individual, they have own favorites, likes and interest too