Blake Suarez Changes Things Up With New Solo Project Verging On Hopeless

Sometimes, when things aren’t going exactly as planned, you have to think outside of the box and make a change. A big change. A fresh start. That is exactly what Blake Suarez has done with his new music project, Verging On Hopeless. He surprised fans of his most recent band, Awaken The Giant, changing the name of the band’s fan group to The Hopeless Nation and dropping a new song, “So Long & Goodbye”, August 14th. Blake gave me some insight about this new project and where he hopes it will go.

But first, a little background on Blake.  He has been involved with music since he was a teenager and his parents bought him his first guitar.  He had friends who played, and that inspired him to get into music.  He has been writing and performing since he was 15 years old.  Blake has been in several bands over the years. Recently, he was in Kingdom Collapse from 2018 to 2020, and also did some backing and hard vocals during live performances. 

Blake and Tab Cocchia formed Awaken The Giant in 2017.  The band gained a lor of loyal followers, and had the opportunity to play some cool shows, including the 979 CPR Rocks CPR Fest in Biloxi, Mississippi in April 2022, The Sound 228 Rockin’ The Sound Pre-Party in Biloxi in March 2023, and Rock On The Hill in Hanover, Pennsylvania in May 2023.

For various reasons, it was time for a change, and that’s what Blake is doing.  His new project, Verging On Hopeless, or VoH, is showcasing a different style of music and also Blake as the lead singer.  Blake came up with the band name a while ago, after being consistently let down by people, being tired of depending on other people and things never working out. It’s based on that hopeless feeling like you have nothing.

Blake’s primary instruments are guitar and bass, but he also dabbles in drums and keyboards.  When he creates a song, he starts with either a guitar riff or lyrics.  The chorus usually comes first, then he builds the rest of the song around that.  After that, he takes the song to the studio and adds all the additional layers, instruments, etc.

 Blake wrote “So Long & Goodbye”  with his friend Charlie Kaminsky.  Blake did a demo of the song in his home studio, then took it to Vigilante Studios to track all the music.  Myles Clayborne engineered, mixed and mastered the track.

“So Long & Goodbye” is a fun song musically, but also incorporates a deeper meaning with the lyrics.  It’s based on failed relationships and broken promises.  Blake says he likes his songs to be high energy, but also relatable based on personal experiences. When I first heard the song I got immediately hooked on the upbeat tempo and the electronic elements, along with the masterful guitar riffs that Blake is known for. Hearing Blake singing lead was a pleasant surprise, and I do think he’s got something there!  I would say “So Long & Goodbye” falls into the pop-punk category. The song is definitely a bop!  There is also a great lyric video for the song, which I’m including below.

What’s to come for Verging On Hopeless?  Well, Blake definitely thinks this is something that could end up being a full band project.  There will be more music to come, and he’d like to eventually play shows and go on tour. The possibilities are endless for this talented musician and I’m excited to see what the future holds!

ADDENDUM: The official music video for “So Long & Goodbye” dropped on YouTube October 18th, 2024. The video was shot and edited independently by Blake Suarez. It includes bassist Mike Yorks and drummer Dustin Lanier. Blake is working on new music for Verging On Hopeless, and no doubt fans are excited for what’s to come!