BREAKING: Thread Executives Form 90s-Style Rock Band

A few months ago, what began as a casual night at a karaoke bar escalated pretty quickly. Rum shots were involved. By the time “Livin’ on a Prayer” came on, Mark Alayev, Thread’s Chief of Magic, had taken lead vocals. Matt Linn, Thread’s COO and Co-Founder, had found a rhythm on whatever surface was nearby. Meanwhile Michael Evers, Thread’s CEO, had committed to harmonies.

Later that night, somewhere between handing out two-dollar bills and debating whether the last chorus was actually in key, the idea came up: start a band.

At first it was supposed to be simple. A rock cover band. Play the classics, have some fun, call it a night.

But like a lot of ideas that come up after midnight, this one stuck.

From cover band to original music

Over the following weeks the conversation kept coming up. Instead of covering other bands, they decided to start writing their own songs.

The inspiration came from a familiar place: long days, late-night escalations, and the shared experience of building and supporting systems that were never really designed to scale.

Eventually that turned into a full album.

The debut release from The Ticket Slayers is called Backlog of Broken Dreams. It’s loud, a little unpolished, and very much the result of people who probably should have gone home earlier.

A very specific tour

Naturally, once you have an album, the next step is to play it live.

The Ticket Slayers will be performing a three-night run in Seattle from September 29 through October 1, 2026.

If Seattle feels oddly specific for a first tour, that’s because it is.

Those dates just happen to line up with AISU Conference 2026, where partners from around the world gather to talk about the future of service delivery and what comes after ticket-driven support.

Which makes it a pretty appropriate place for a band called The Ticket Slayers to make their debut.

Limited presale access

Because the run is limited to three nights, access to tickets will start with a presale. The presale will only run for the month of April.

If you want early access, you can sign up on the band site and we’ll send ticket information directly to your inbox.

You might also notice a few other things while you’re there—tour posters, merch, and a closer look at the band itself.

If you want to check it out (and sign up for presale access), head here:

Visit The Ticket Slayers band site