John Giovanazzi
Rev. John
John is the incredible creative director and booker for Das Bunker, LA’s beloved industrial club night which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year! What started in 1996 in a former dive bar in Long Beach quickly grew into a defining voice for the industrial, EBM, and dark electronic scene in Los Angeles and beyond. At a time when much of the local nightlife was stuck playing the same old retro hits, Das Bunker became a place for European cold EBM, electro, goth, and harder, darker sounds -- carving out new space for fans who wanted something deeper and more adventurous.
John has worn many hats over the years: DJ, venue owner, promoter, and longtime scene builder. Early on he volunteered wherever he could, learning every aspect of club life from the ground up before becoming a resident DJ and street promoter, eventually stepping into leadership on the Das Bunker brand as it expanded into larger venues like Jewel’s Catch One and multiple rooms of dance floors with varied music experiences.
Along the way he also helmed Complex, a live-music venue in Glendale that brought together industrial, synth, goth, and alternative acts, keeping the dark underground pulse alive in Los Angeles.
John is an incredibly hard-working man of many hats with decades of hands-on experience, a deep love for music, and wisdom shaped by years in the trenches of nightlife. He’s contributed massively to our music community -- not just by booking great artists and DJs, but by creating spaces where people feel connected, welcomed, and inspired.
He is graciously sitting down with me for our first episode of Unwritten Rules of the Road in 2026. This will be a unique episode where I sit down live with him and we’ll also take questions from the chat. We hope to see y’all there!
Whether you’re a DJ, promoter, musician, or longtime fan of industrial and dark culture, this conversation promises stories, insight, and inspiration you can take home.
About the Unwritten Rules of the Road
The Unwritten Rules of the Road is a combination blog and video series with live streams and interviews with people who are on the ground level in the live music and touring world: musicians, promoters, set builders, venue owners, and more! Our mission is to provide an educational resource to artists of all types who want to get into touring but may not know just how to do it... Or maybe you are already touring but just want to figure out a way to level up. With your host Tash Cox (who is a seasoned DIY tour booker and touring artist herself), we shall guide you.
What they get into
- The origins and evolution of Das Bunker from a dive bar party to a 30-year institution
- How John learned the business from the ground up -- from volunteering to booking to running venues
- What it’s like to sustain an underground music community through decades of change
- Tips and wisdom from a life spent in nightlife, DJing, and event promotion
- Taking questions live from the audience for real-time interaction