Folk Band With Neo-Nazi Ties Kicked off Rutgers University Radio Show, but DJ Still Plays Their Music

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ – A band that was thrown off the bill at last year’s Philadelphia Pagan Pride event because of its ties to the Keystone State “Skinheads” (KSS), saw themselves disinvited from performing live on a Rutgers University radio show Tuesday night, although the DJ proceeded to play their music in protest.

Norsewind, a neo-folk band from Berks County, Pennsylvania who have attended and performed at past KSS “Leif Erickson Day Celebration” events, its singer/guitarist Danjul Norse seen in one video marching with Norway’s flag with the group, and who’s members included George “Jorgen” Gajewski the lead singer of National Socialist Black Metal Band Wotanorden and member of the neo-Nazi organization Blood and Honor, was stopped from playing live by on the WRSU metal show “Trephagon” by Rutgers University administrators after an alert was sent out to social media by Philadelphia Antifa and Hub City Anti-Racist Action. One People’s Project was also able to visit the campus and talk with some administrators at WRSU.

Trephagon host Jeff Loftus said on the air that he was notified that Norsewind could not play three hours before his show began at 10 PM, “I can’t do anything about it,” he said without explaining the reason for the cancellation. “I understand why things happened the way they did, I apologize if I’m being very vague, but I really just don’t want to get into it…It’s such a stupid incident, it’s not even worth shedding light onto why.”

However, Loftus was allowed to play Norsewind’s music on much of his radio show, and on the Trephagon Facebook page he defended the band and talked about their associations with KSS, referring to them by their other name Keystone United (KU) and downplaying their presence at their events. “I know that member(s) have attended Leif Erikson Day when KU was present, but that does not equate to being associated with the organization,” he posted. “And as for performing at social functions for KU, bands will play where they are paid to play. Do I agree that they should have accepted that offer? No, but I can definitely understand why they did it. That does not mean they are affiliated with the group.”

Last year, when Danjul Norse was interviewed by the heathen page The Wild Hunt about the then-controversy that led to their removal from the Philly Pagan Pride event, he expressed a similar sentiment. “It was a job and we decided to do it,” he said. “It’s a business for us and it was a festival dedicated to Leif Erikson and his voyage. There were no signs of White Supremacy or neo-Nazi or hate. It was just a BBQ and they treated me with respect and enjoyed our music. That was it. So when they asked us to play again last year, I thought, OK.”

Norse is close friends with several members of KSS, corresponding with them regularly on Facebook.

On the show Loftus said he first met the band when they performed at the Pocono Folk/Pagan/Viking Metal Fest in Strousburg, PA in August and according to the band itself, even though they did not perform live it was still amounted to their radio debut.

How Trephagon addressed the controversy Tuesday night.

Danjul Norse can be seen in the video below at 1:50, 2:20, 3:50, and 5:40. At 4:51, Norsewind’s then-fiddler Daniel Riegel – who died exactly two years after this video was shot – appears and talks with DLJ who is taping.