For Jackie and the Treehorns, the persona was fake but the music is real

How many times has Steven Rubin seen “The Big Lebowski”? “One time too many, obviously,” cracked the D.C.-area singer-guitarist, who named his current band after that cult movie’s villain, Jackie Treehorn.

Rubin started performing as Jackie and the Treehorns when he was still a member of his previous outfit, Girl Loves Distortion, he explained in a recent phone interview. He would sometimes play solo gigs under the name, explaining away the absence of any accompanying “Treehorns.”