Westword Merch Drop: Our Collab with Colorado Artist Moonlightspeed

Growing up in Colorado, artist Joe Triscari was always flipping through Westword to see what bands were coming to Denver. Now, Triscari's art is part of a new Westword merch drop to thank the community for supporting nearly fifty years of the publication's independent journalism.

From March 3 to 23, become a Westword member and contribute at least $20 to receive a limited-release Westword poster designed by Triscari, whose artist name is Moonlightspeed. Up your contribution to at least $75 and you'll get the commemorative poster plus an exclusive hoodie or crewneck (your choice!).

Already a recurring member? Keep an eye on your inbox for details on how to get your merch.
Triscari, who prefers to go by Moonlightspeed, started screenprinting when he was playing in bands in the early 2000s in Denver. He started making merch for DIY hardcore and punk rock bands, figuring they could cut costs by doing it themselves. Moonlightspeed's art started getting more commissions and wide recognition, snowballing into the artist designing posters and shirts for everyone from Tame Impala, Death Cab for Cutie and Ween to Goose, Jawbreaker and even Lenny Kravitz.

Moonlightspeed has been a Westword reader since the '90s and was excited about the opportunity to create merch for the publication. "It's a real hub of local information," he says of Westword. "It's really in touch and it's pretty unparalleled. It's almost like a zine, but it's better than a zine and better than a newspaper."
Since Moonlightspeed is so well-versed in screenprinting, he thought about what would look good on a poster or shirt while he was coming up with the design. "Dude, it's absolute chaos," he says of the resulting illustration. "...I wanted to draw this entity that is looking at Westword and all these personalities that represent all these new personalities in Colorado now. Over the past decade, it's really grown from being the cow town that I grew up in."

The artist says he wanted the design to be representative of Colorado's blooming arts, culture and food scenes. "I wanted to represent that exploding out from the inside of this entity that's reading Westword," he says. "And it just so happens that [the entity] is featured on the front of the Westword it's reading, so it's looking back in on itself."

Moonlightspeed says he was happy with the final design and hopes that it will give people joy and make them feel excited about supporting Westword. "I hope that people are able to get a piece of Westword merch that they're psyched about and know that they've contributed to a really awesome entity," he says.

All contributions must be made by March 23, 2025 to qualify. Posters will be available for pick up at the Westword office, 1278 Lincoln Street, Suite 100 in Denver, starting on March 24. Hoodie or crewneck sweatshirts will be mailed directly to you, and you will be able to select your size and color from the available options. Details will be mailed to you after your contribution.

Westword's funding comes from print and digital advertising, our full-service digital marketing agency, V Digital Services, and contributions from readers through our membership program. We currently have an editorial staff of 10, and in 2024, we raised enough funds through our membership program to pay for two staff writers' salaries. Our online content never has a paywall, keeping it free and accessible for all. We also continue to distribute 20,000 print papers each week around the city – free for anyone to grab from a Westword newsstand.