</p> <p>I first encountered the name Kenny Roby while listening to <a href="http://archive.org/details/ryanadams1999-10-22.sbd.flac16" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Whiskeytown bootleg</a> from The Brewery, recorded Oct. 22, 1999. Not having been in the Triangle during the great alt-country hope, I never got to see the band for which he is best known, 6 String Drag. </p> <p>But after getting my hands on those records, I moved on to his solo material. At the time Roby was not playing out very often. The first time I was able to record him a few years later, he was playing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww0aCQOD8Qs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fantastic original tunes</a> while trying to be heard over a noisy American Aquarium crowd at The Pour House. I immediately became a fan.</p> <p>Roby just released his latest album, <em>Memories & Birds</em>, which is being <a href="http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/the-start-and-stop-journey-of-kenny-roby-to-the-best-record-of-his-life/Content?oid=3493786" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hailed as his best</a>. He’s playing two shows at Kings on Friday, with JKutchma opening the first (7:30 p.m.) and the Temperance League opening the second (10 p.m.)</p>
