Lady Upstairs show a true NCC homecoming

The Lady Upstairs, an acoustic rock band, was just cutting its teeth in 2002 at North Central College when it appeared on the campus radio station and performed a cover of the Lifehouse hit "Hanging by a Moment."

Seven years later, members of The Lady Upstairs found themselves back at their alma mater as one of the opening acts for Lifehouse when the multiplatinum selling group performed July 26 at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.

It was the first major outdoor rock concert in the Naperville school's history and it attracted roughly 2,200 people.

"Playing with a crowd and a band of that caliber, I think it took us about 24 hours to come down from that high," said Mike Kulbeda, lead singer of The Lady Upstairs.

Returning to the NCC campus, Kulbeda said, made the experience even more special.

Adrian Aldrich, director of alumni affairs at North Central, graduated with three of the band members and has remained a close friend.

When the school secured Lifehouse for the outdoor concert, Aldrich immediately suggested The Lady Upstairs as an opening act.

"I thought, 'Wow, what a great opportunity to have North Central alumni be the first to take the stage at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium," he said.

Since graduating in 2002, the men of The Lady Upstairs have remained extremely supportive of the school, Aldrich said, making them a perfect fit for the event.

"They are just great guys who love their alma mater," he said. "They carry the North Central flag with them wherever they go."

The band, which currently has five members, came together in December 2001 when Kulbeda and his roommate, Bill Stang, were in their senior year. Both were members of the school's basketball team but found themselves playing instruments in their spare time.

"We had nothing else to do," Kulbeda said. "I had a guitar and drum set, so we learned together."

Eventually they recruited friends and teammates Nick Miller and Vince Perillo to join them. The foursome started playing for friends and small campus parties, receiving positive feedback along the way.

Mike's younger brother, David Kulbeda, joined the band later. He attended Northern Illinois University.

According to Mike Kulbeda, the band's name originated from the house he and Stang were living in when they first started playing together.

"We were living in this house and there was a lady still living upstairs," Kulbeda said. "After she moved out, Bill and I moved up there and we started playing around with the guitar and drums."

After graduation, just as the band was getting more serious about its music, Kulbeda moved to Boston with his wife to start his career.

While he was there, he wrote songs to deal with the frustrations of being away from home and his bandmates.

"The songs dealt with lots of emotions and ideas about being away from the people you really care about and finding your identity," Kulbeda said.

When Kulbeda returned home in 2004, he reunited with his bandmates. Within the next few years, they were able to use the songs he had written to record their first album, "Coming Home."

Now that the band has its first major performance under its belt, Kulbeda said members are going back to their roots and playing more for college crowds.

"We're very relaxed," he said. "It doesn't need to be a big, fancy production."

Band members currently are writing material for their second album, which they hope to release next year.

Regardless of where their music takes them, Kulbeda said he and the guys just want to enjoy the ride.

"We've always been best friends outside the band," he said, "so there isn't any pressure and we can just have fun."