Berkshire County — Despite fighting cancer, local musician Michael Lesko intends to create and finish his second album. Lesko is the host and creator of the “Show and Tell” monthly open mic event at Dewey Hall in Sheffield, which he started in 2017.
He previously released the album “Hidden Sun” under the name “Dreamaholic” in 2021. “The name ‘Dreamaholic’ speaks to just kind of my relationships to my dreams and having a very active dream life since I was a child,” Lesko told The Berkshire Edge. “It also refers to not being able to let go of this dream of being a successful musician. I’ve worked many other jobs, and over the years I got lost in entry-level jobs, including retail, restaurants, catering, and gardening. I just couldn’t let go of the things I wanted. To me, the bigger meaning of the name ‘Dreamaholic’ is that everyone is addicted to this dream called life. We’re invested in it, but life is but a dream.”
For Lesko, his dream started as a child growing up in Farmington, Conn. “I was always a musical kid, just singing and banging on things,” Lesko said. “I would be the kind of kid who would spend time in the kitchen tapping on something until I bothered somebody in my family. I was just someone who was always enamored with sound.” Lesko said that he started by playing drums, eventually moving on to keyboards and guitar. He eventually went on to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston where he learned about songwriting and producing music.
Lesko said that he has lived in the Berkshire area since 2012, currently residing in Hillsdale, N.Y. “Someone in the Berkshires invited me to play with their band up here, and it was a deal I couldn’t pass up,” Lesko said. “I fell in love with the area once I came up here. I enjoy the artist and musical community in this area because everyone encourages others to connect and be creative.”
Lesko started teaching drums in 2017 and now has Dream World Studio in Hillsdale, where he teaches drums and coaches students on writing and producing songs.
Previously, he was preparing to create his second album last year. Lesko had to put plans for the recording of the album on hold, however, when he discovered a cancerous tumor on his body last November. According to Lesko, the cancer spread to the nearest lymph node. (During his interview with The Berkshire Edge, Lesko requested not to reveal the type of cancer he is dealing with.)
Despite the diagnosis and his health issues, however, Lesko said, “I feel great,” when asked how he was managing. “The only thing I don’t feel great about is all the stress around the situation,” Lesko said. “The [doctors] are like, ‘You’re gonna have to get chemo if you want to get rid of it.’ I was about to do that. But I just decided I want to just take a little pause in making any decisions. The amount [of cancer] that made it into the nearest lymph node is so minuscule.”
Lesko said that he is considering alternative cancer treatments, but has not made a firm decision on what he will do. “It’s a very scary and unknown place for me,” Lesko said. “It continues to be a scary and unknown place, but I feel totally fine.”
While fighting cancer, Lesko said that he is now working again on his second “Dreamaholic” album. “I’ve been working on new songs, but not the same songs I was planning to record last year,” he said. “To me, because of what has happened, things are just extra potent now. There has been a sense of urgency because of what has happened. It’s like a fire has been lit under my ass to get things done. It has brought a sense of mortality to the forefront.”
Lesko would not say what the title of the new album will be or provide song titles, but he said that he wants to create an album that is from “a hopeful place.” He explained, “I was planning on creating an album of sad folk-style songs, but I’m at a point where I don’t want to make an album that is slow and sad. I want it to be more upbeat and exciting to share.”
To create the album, Lesko has created an Indegogo campaign to raise funds to pay for professional studio time and musicians. “With the music I’m creating, I want listeners to not feel alone with their struggles,” Lesko said. “That’s probably the biggest thing that I got out of music when I was growing up and it was something that inspired me. I just want people to feel like I’m in this with them.”
