Whrrl Brings the History of Rock and Roll to the Palm of Your Hands

SEATTLE, March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Pelago, makers of Whrrl, today announced a partnership with the Experience Music Project (EMP) and The Max's Kansas City Company to promote places and stories about the iconic artists, famous locations and memorable events that make up the cornerstone of America's rock history – based on location, and right to the mobile phone. With much of the rich history of rock and roll trapped in manuscripts, interviews, books and memories, this important initiative takes formerly inaccessible material and makes it available to everyone in the palm of their hands.

Users can follow in the footsteps of their favorite artists by checking into select locations on Whrrl. Currently, there's more than 125 stories at over 100 places in six cities around the nation – and more locations added daily. Upon check in, users can discover annotations and stories about the artists who once graced the stage, and information about the venue itself. Where did Aerosmith get discovered? What was the venue where Nirvana first played "Smells Like Teen Spirit?" Where was Bruce Springsteen a regular performer? Now anyone can say, "I was there, too!"

"The Experience Music Project's mission is to provide dynamic, multifaceted, ever-changing experiences through new and exciting explorations of American popular music that both entertain and engage visitors in the creative process," said Tomi Douglas, Director of Marketing and Audience Development at EMP. "We believe our mission aligns with that of Whrrl perfectly, whereby our content and their platform can enable anyone to have new adventures and relive memorable moments of our nation's rock and roll history."

"It's hard to believe that I've walked by my local grocery store a million times and had no idea that Birdland, a very famous venue, once stood there," said Jeff Holden, Founder and CEO of Pelago. "This is the exact place that Jimi Hendrix spent countless hours teaching himself how to play guitar as a teen. One check in and I already feel more connected to the history of my own neighborhood."

In addition to viewing stories about America's history of rock and roll, users will also be able to unlock memberships into exclusive music societies on Whrrl. Societies are micro-communities of like-minded people that visit the same places and have the same passions. Current societies include:

• EMP:  Locations in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC, Minneapolis and San Francisco. Societies include Seattle Grunge, LA Punk Rock, New York Rock 'n' Roll, The Prince Society and San Francisco Sound.
• Max's Kansas City:  Stories about the famous rockers who frequented their historic location, including Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Patti Smith, Aerosmith and The Ramones.
• You can learn more about these societies and how to unlock membership by visiting the Whrrl blog at www.whrrl.com

"Max's Kansas City is one of New York's most important cultural icons, and was known as the spot where the worlds of art, music and fashion exploded from the 1960s-80s," said Marni Wandner, who runs Maxskansascity.com. "Many of the most famous creative people of that era hung out there, and the effects of their work are still felt throughout New York City. There are so many artists and musicians inspired by them, and we're excited to see these stories find a larger stage through this partnership."

About Pelago

Pelago was founded to revolutionize the way people experience the physical world. Whrrl, the company's flagship product, seeks to increase the possibility of real-world adventure and human connection in our daily lives by bringing together people who share real-world visit patterns, and enabling them to inspire each other with their knowledge and experiences. Pelago was founded in 2006, is based in Seattle, and led by an executive team from companies including Amazon, RealNetworks and Yahoo. The company is backed by pioneering Internet and mobile investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Bezos Expeditions, T-Venture, Trilogy Equity Partners and Reliance Technology Ventures. For more information, visit www.pelago.com

About The Experience Music Project (EMP)

EMP|SFM is dedicated to the exploration of creativity and innovation in popular music. EMP captures and reflects the essence of rock 'n' roll, and its influence on other recent genres using interpretive, interactive exhibitions with cutting-edge technology. EMP is proud to present its latest exhibition, Taking Aim: Unforgettable Rock 'n' Roll Photographs Selected by Graham Nash running at EMP through May 23, 2010. The exhibition will begin touring summer 2010. www.empsfm.org

About The Max's Kansas City Company

Max's Kansas City is dedicated to propelling and exploring the fusion of art, fashion and music. In the same way the original Max's represented the melting pot of "pop culture" for its generation, the new Max's aims to be a progressive and dynamic genre of "avant-garde art culture" for today's artistic community.  From the storied history of the legendary establishment that Mickey Ruskin built, and onwards into the future, The Max's Kansas City Company will continue to be the authenticator and gold standard of all creative movements in art, music and fashion. For more information, visit: www.maxskansascity.com

SOURCE Pelago