For a traveling band, a vodka sponsorship can be both a blessing and a curse. The men of Antennas Up lived that dream — barely. Bombora Vodka gave the Kansas City band two boxes of vodka to take on the road. "That was the drunkest tour we've had so far," says bassist and lead singer Kyle Akers. "Because of open-container laws, when you open a bottle you have to finish it." Finish it could also be the motto for Antennas Up (originally called Distance to Empty), a band that has persisted for eight years despite two lead singers quitting at pivotal junctures. The band's debut record as Antennas Up was out nationally April 14, and it's proof that good things come to dedicated bands. More focused and funky than anything Distance to Empty ever released, Antennas Up is brimming with radio-ready hooks and fresh production ideas. It sounds a lot like Jamie Lidell or Jamiroquai, if they'd grown up in the '90s and absorbed more Beck and Radiohead.