Alex Biese

@ABieseAPP

Jimkata can't wait to get back to the Saint.

The Ithica, New York-based electro-rock trio is on the road in support of the February release "In Motion," and the run of dates will bring them back to the club on Asbury Park's Main Street on Friday, March 18.

“When we first started touring and seeing different parts of the country, I remember going to the Saint and thinking, ‘Oh, what’s so special about this place? It’s like a little corner room in this building,’" said frontman Evan Friedell. "And then, as I got to keep touring over the years and see a bunch of different rooms, I realized that what’s special about it is it’s like kind of a cornerstone of a music scene there.

“With any venue, what matters more is who’s behind it and who’s making things work there, and it seems like (owner) Scott (Stamper)’s dedication to keeping that place up and running and having a healthy scene there and Drew (Wajnert), who’s the promoter there for our shows, they’ve always taken care of us. I’ve gained a real respect for that place and what they do there.”

"In Motion," the band's third LP, traffics in a synth-heavy, '80s style pop sound that never feels ironic or detached. This isn't nostalgia for nostalgia's sake, as Friedell and company deliver big hooks without a hint of kitsch or camp.

“I’ve heard a lot of records where you listen to it and you go, ‘That sounds exactly like Prince,’ or something where you know they’re deliberately ripping someone off. For all of us as producers, we all write our own demos and Aaron (Gorsch), our synth player, grew up listening to a lot of Genesis and Yes and prog rock of the '70s and '80s, so we want to be able to utilize those influences without sounding like we were trying to copy anybody or have a retro sound, and also with a focus on having just good songs that people can latch on to.”

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Jimkata is a true D.I.Y. endeavor: much like the band's previous album, 2012's "Die Digital," "In Motion" was backed directly by the band's fans through a successful crowd-funding campaign.

“Being an independent band can be kind of scary at times because you’re sacrificing a lot in order to be in a band and tour and not make any money," said Friedell. "But you are in it for the experience, you’re in it because you love it and as it ends up you realize what really matters is the people who are there and coming to your shows and supporting you.

“We realized that if we were lucky we could try to do that with crowdfunding like we did with ‘Death to Digital,’ the first one we did that on, and it was a little scary. At first, you’re a little vulnerable, feeling like, ‘Well, who’s going to give us money?’ All those doubts in your head. Then we went through with it and people supported us in a big way. For this one, the second time around, we were in a similar situation a little further along in our career. We had developed more fans and had a good thing going on and so we just decided to try to do it again and it worked."

JIMKATA

WITH: Heartracer and Waiting on Mongo

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 18

WHERE: The Saint, 601 Main St., Asbury Park

TICKETS: $15

INFO: 732-775-9144, http://thesaintnj.com