WASHINGTON, DC – Greek-American Pete Kalamoutsos is an electronic music impresario and founder of Club Glow, the longest-running electronic music event promotion company on the East Coast, established in 1999, and based in Washington, DC. The company currently operates on a weekly basis out of two venues in DC (Echostage and Soundcheck) and has hosted numerous large-scale and music festival events at the DC Armory and RFK Stadium.
Since 1999, Club Glow has regularly hosted top international and local electronic dance music talent at its venues. In recent years, Club Glow has hosted Moonrise Festival and co-hosted Preakness InfieldFest in Baltimore, Maryland; Clubhouse Festival in Laurel, Maryland; and Project Glow at RFK Stadium.
Among the best venues for electronic music in North America, Club Glow is now a permanent entity of Insomniac Events and Live Nation, and has held events with Tiesto, Avicii, Zedd, Hardwell, Porter Robinson, Calvin Harris, and many other prominent DJs.
Chris Lake and Pete Kalamoutsos at the sold-out event in April in Washington, DC. Photo: Courtesy of Glow
Most recently, Kalamoutsos hosted Chris Lake block party in April on DC’s historic Pennsylvania Avenue – a house-music day party just steps from the city’s famous sites including the National Gallery of Art and the National Archives.
Kalamoutsos, the son of Greek immigrants, grew up in Rockville, Maryland, and regularly visited family back in Greece, where he was exposed to the European dance-music scene. He spoke with The National Herald about his Greek heritage, the challenging and rewarding aspects of his work, and about the 5th Project Glow Festival which takes place May 30-31.
TNH: Where in Greece is your family originally from?
Pete Kalamoutsos: My parents are both born in Arcadia, Peloponnese area. My father is from the small village of Vourvoura, and my mother is from the nearby village of Vervena and the small beach town of Astros.
Pete Kalamoutsos and Tiesto in Washington, DC. Photo: Courtesy of Glow
TNH: Were you always interested in pursuing a career in music?
PK: I always loved music as a child. I especially loved dance music from the young age of 14. I had many childhood friends who were DJs and we would go to the record store weekly until I saved enough for my own equipment. I started DJ-ing at 14, playing parties by 16, and by 18, I was playing nightclubs in DC.
TNH: What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
PK: I’m very blessed to have the best job in the world! Certain ‘challenges’ make you better. Glow is in its 27th year, Echostage is in its 14th year, and Project Glow Festival is in its 5th year. Staying ahead of trends and remaining relevant is always a challenge, but we always try to take our venues and festivals to the next level year after year. In addition, we are always keeping a sharp eye on up and coming talent. We love to grow with the artist: to our smaller rooms up to Echostage up to headliners at festivals.
The young Pete Kalamoutsos and family at Christmas. Photo: Courtesy of Glow
TNH: What is the most rewarding aspect?
PK: I absolutely LOVE seeing our amazing, diverse crowd on the dance floor. Last week, a young man stopped me and said he chose the University of Maryland to be closer to Echostage and our Glow events. It was amazing!
TNH: What can fans look forward to at the upcoming Project Glow?
PK: This will be our biggest Project Glow Festival to date. We are about to sell out at 45,000 people per day. We’ve taken our stage production to the next level with massive stages, and we’ve added a lot of interactive art installations and food vendors on site. Very proud of our fans and artists who have grown with us.
Pete Kalamoutsos in his college days. Photo: Courtesy of Glow
TNH: What are you working on next?
PK: We just finished the first in a series, Glow Block Party, a concert staged in front of the U.S. Capitol on the legendary Pennsylvania Avenue— 10,000 people sold out our first show with Chris Lake. We are doing two more in the fall as well as many more next year. This is probably the ‘coolest’ show I have ever done— and I’ve done a lot of ‘cool’ shows since I’ve been at this since 1999!
More information and tickets for the Project Glow Festival available online: https://projectglowfest.com/.
