Sean DeFrank
Associate Editor
Contact: 868-4553 • Email
A Southern Nevada resident since 1974, DeFrank worked for the Las Vegas Review-Journal for more than 13 years, primarily as a sports copy editor but also covering the city of Henderson in the late ‘90s, before coming to Vegas Seven just in time for its launch. The UNLV graduate is also a U.S. Army infantry veteran, and was recalled to active duty in 1991 as part of Operation Desert Storm. He lives in Henderson with his wife, enjoys traveling and going to concerts, and loves his UNLV Rebels.
Recent Articles
Concert Review: Reggae in the Desert
Clark County Amphitheater, June 16
June 17th, 2013
In the wake of overcrowding at last year’s festival—resulting in long lines, vendors running out of food and water, and an uncomfortable congestion on the amphitheater lawn—organizers decided to spread the festivities over two days. The verdict? Everyting irie, mon.
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Three Questions: Neon Reverb
Will Life is Beautiful overshadow its older brother?
June 5th, 2013
Much attention has been given to the announcement of Life Is Beautiful, a music, food and arts festival coming to Downtown on October 26-27. But the twice-yearly Neon Reverb has been featuring national and local musical acts at Downtown venues since 2008. Neon Reverb organizer Jason Aragon weighs in on the impact Life Is Beautiful will have on his festival.
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Concert Review: Billy Idol
The Pearl at the Palms, May 25
May 30th, 2013
Even at 57 years old, Billy Idol still appears much as he did in his Rebel Yell prime of 1983. There is the blond, spiked hair; the still-ripped abs and the spiked, leather attire. But, most importantly, Idol still possesses a voice that ranges from guttural snarl to smooth croon, a voice still packed with attitude and swagger that delighted a predominately older crowd inside the nearly filled Pearl.
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Rebel Reunion
Former Rebels gather to remember the glory days
May 29th, 2013
For the former Rebel basketball players attending the UNLV Legends Reunion on June 1, this year’s get-together is truly a cause for celebration. With Jerry Tarkanian’s upcoming induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and a statue of the longtime UNLV coach soon to sit outside the Thomas & Mack Center, expect the smiles to be a little bit brighter, and the hugs a little bit tighter.
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The Life Aquatic
After 33 years, Reitz still a splash hit at UNLV
May 28th, 2013
UNLV swimming coach Jim Reitz hasn’t taken attendance at practice in 20 years. He trusts that the young men and women under his tutelage are self-driven enough to want to get faster in the pool, but hopes they’re also self-disciplined enough to know when they need to back off.
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Concert Review: Os Mutantes
Hard Rock Live, May 11
May 15th, 2013
It was a small but curious crowd that turned out to see the Brazilian psych-rock pioneers, who re-formed in 2006 following a hiatus of more than 30 years. With such a long stretch of inactivity, there was no sense of nostalgia as most fans were seeing Os Mutantes live for the first time, and some were probably only familiar with the band’s noted influence on artists such as Kurt Cobain, Beck and David Byrne.
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Nevada Has Plastic Priorities
May 15th, 2013
Las Vegas is often chided for its inauthenticity, so is it any surprise that our state’s highest paid public employee is a plastic surgeon?
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A Brighter Sunset
May 1st, 2013
There is no trace of the pool that used to be on Sunset Park’s west side. Built in 1972, it had fallen into disrepair and became too expensive to maintain, sitting empty and unused since 2009. In its place, though, are a new shaded picnic area, a refurbished playground and fresh landscaping, part of $11.7 million in renovations throughout the 325-acre regional park that have taken nearly two years to complete and are ready for their official unveiling May 4.
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Left in Scoring Position
Failure to secure bring Spring Training to Henderson still haunts Don Logan
April 30th, 2013
As Don Logan drives south into Henderson, the longtime Las Vegas 51s executive can’t help but look at the plot of undeveloped desert near Galleria Drive east of U.S. 95 and envision what might have been. On two separate occasions—the first starting in 1994, the second in 1999—Logan tried to bring Major League Baseball teams here for spring training, and the failure to make it happen still bothers him.
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Concert Review: Joe Bonamassa
The Pearl at the Palms, April 20
April 22nd, 2013
Just before the show, an excited fan asked the porter in the men’s restroom if he was familiar with Bonamassa’s guitar prowess, exclaiming, “He’s like a combination of Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Stevie Ray Vaughan!” After the fan walked out, another guy who overheard the exchange, said, “I don’t know where he gets the Jimmy Page part.”
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