Bobby Markos of Native Interview

Bobby Markos 

Bobby Markos is the lead singer and bass player of Northwest Indiana math-rock/post-punk band Native. Recently I got the chance to talk to the band, and learned about Bobby's blog called BudsNSuds, a blog on sodas of all kinds. As of recent, I got the chance to talk to Bobby and talk about his blog and the world of soda. 


Q. So tell us, how does one become a connoisseur of soda? 

Essentially anyone can be a "connoisseur", it is just a matter of knowing your flavors, your preference and knowing why you like things. It's good to know your area's specialties. It's also good to know some about ingredients and what makes each soda special. A lot of memorization but after while it just gets to be a habit.

Q. Do you make your own soda or plan on making your own? 

I'm starting the process of learning brewing technique. I'd really like to get into the game in some point of my life, really push the limits as far as root beers and ginger ales go. I feel like there's a lot of ground to be reached still with microbrewing and fire brewing techniques. Hopefully I'll be able to settle down as a full time brewer at some point in my life.

Q. Now, these sodas that you showcase on your site, are they what you would call micro-brewed sodas? 

Some are micro-brewed, some are fire-brewed, each brand differs. I think that's what sets brands apart and really opens the game up to anyone who can be innovative.

Q. Down here in the south the only soda that I have seen on your site has been Jones Soda. Is there more of a variety of different sodas in the mid-west? 

The midwest is really rich as far as variety of specialty sodas go. We're lucky to have big cities like Louisville, Chicago and Milwaukee that have big breweries and put out some fine brands like Ale 8, Goose Island and Sprecher (just to name a few, there's scores more).

Q. Now with Jones Soda, they have been known to make some odd flavors like, 'Mashed Potatoes" and "Gravy". Do you know of any other crazy soda flavors out there? 

With artificial flavoring the skies the limit with soda flavors. For example, i've seen chocolate sodas, chai cola, and other novelty flavors like bacon and such.  

Q. Now, there are beer and wine snobs but, are there soda snobs? 

I believe that a soda snob is someone who refuses to drink most mainstream brands and drinks exclusively bottled or speciality, gourmet sodas. Admittedly I'm a bit of a snob, but I still really enjoy Coke and Dr. Pepper. 

Q. What are some of your favorite sodas that some of us novices should know about? 

Ale 8 from Kentucky definitely knocked me on my ass, still one of my favorite ginger ales. Anything from Sprecher is near gold, they have a fantastic company and are really setting the pace for fire-brewed soda (try their cherry cola or their ginger ale). I'm also a huge fan of Dublin Dr. Pepper, which is Dr. Pepper still made at the original plant in Texas. It's hard to come by anywhere but there, but you can order cases off their website. 

Q. With your website, budsnsuds.org, have you been contacted by any of the soda manufacturers about the good work you've done? Gotten any free soda? 

I haven't yet but we're still in the beginning stages. Once we reach a certain level of followers and traffic I'd like to start reaching out to companies to see if they'd like to have regular reviews of their products. If music magazines can do it, so can I. 

Q. Now according to you, what makes a good soda? 

That all depends on what we're going for. If we're talking about dark colas, it's important to have a variety of "hints" of flavoring, meaning mixes of citrus, cherry and anything else you can think of. This way, the flavors will rise at different levels in the bottle depending on their weight and density, giving drinkers a well rounded drinking experience. For ginger ale and ginger brew, it's important to lay on the spice. I've found that the truest and best ginger ales are those that almost hurt to drink, leave the throat burning. They're good to sip, and are surprisingly delicious and enjoyable. 

Q. As a Atlanta area native, I must ask. Have you been to the World of Coke? If you haven't and you do end up going, do NOT drink Beverly. 

Unfortunately I haven't been yet, but I'd really like to. I think Coke is the greatest soda ever created just because of how versatile it is, it can go with anything and has stood the test of time. 

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Be sure to check out Bobby's blog budsnsuds.org, and check out the newest in sodas around the country!