OKP, can you help a lurker out?

i'm planning a road trip cuz (1) i need a serious break from Oakland (born/raised and getting harder and harder to find my place here), (2) i recently decided to pursue being a musician (bassist) full time, but the Bay's music culture is lacking, and (3) i've never spent time in most places in the US that have lively music cultures and i'm tryina see what that looks like.

the timing will be June through mid July, with some flexibility around exactly where i'll be and exactly when.

i'm planning to drive south and then east, as far as Memphis & Nashville, and then back (to hit the same cities, but with having done some networking in between).

for each city, i'm looking for:
1. places to stay
2. recommendations of jam sessions
3. musical connections (musicians or people who know the scene)
4. anyone who wants to show an OKP a good time
5. other?

i'ma post cities below. let me know if you have ideas for any of those questions for any of the cities. feel free to throw other cities/towns in the hat if you think there's other places generally along the way i'm leaving out.

1. Places to stay - This is a big Airbnb city. Options abound.

2. recommendations of jam sessions - Jam Sessions are hard to come by. Hanging out on a Monday or a Tuesday on Frenchmen Street will probably be your best bet. Avoid the Quarter. No jam sessions to be found. Also, the Old Point Bar in Algiers used to have a jam session. Not sure if they still do.

3. musical connections (musicians or people who know the scene) - Hang out at the Maple Leaf Bar (tons of history, and lots of musicians just hang there, also check out the new New Orleans Jazz Market (members of the Jazz Orchestra (Irvin Mayfield included) just hang out at the bar on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Also, Sidney's Saloon on St. Bernard and Ooh Poo Pah Doo Bar on Orleans Avenue are owned and frequented by musicians.

4. anyone who wants to show an OKP a good time - I'm down to meet up. Let me know.

5. other? When you get into town, listen to WWOZ, the local jazz station. They have the LiveWire, which tells you who is playing where every night. It is also available online. Also check out the Gambit and Where Y'at free newspapers to find out what's going on around town.

Most of the music culture around here is free or close to it. Don't be afraid to explore.

this is hella helpful. i'll hit you up. peace.

potential unemployment notwithstanding

would you recommend that extra distance to check out that city?