The Third Space of The Humble Abode

Courtesy of The Humble Abode/Loren Armstrong

Walking into Square-Saint-Louis on a brisk, buggy Thursday night almost reminded me of a Friday night football game at my high school campus; I felt awkward, embarrassed and frankly, a little lost. I had recently spent a few minutes longer than I should have waiting outside of the Humble Abode trying to figure out why I wasn’t hearing music inside of the building. Something told me to check their Instagram account, where I thankfully found that the open mic night had been moved to the park.

As I approached the group, I noticed a Tiny Desk-esque environment fashioned together on a bed of grass: a large, green armchair sat surrounded by two guitars, some decorative lamps, and a microphone. A group of seven or eight people lounged around it, chatting amongst each other.

I immediately felt welcome. A few people smiled or waved at me as I sat in the back of the group, and when organizer Loren Armstrong went up to the mic to start off the event, she was already lightheartedly joking around with some of the attendees.

As the mix of singer-songwriters, poets, and musicians played their sets, the warmth and support from the audience to those on stage was apparent with every new performer. The crowd, a mix of those who knew about the event and those who began to watch from other parts of the park, grew as the night went on, and despite the change in numbers, everything felt as intimate as when it was just the original group of eight.

This atmosphere of ease and openness, which helped dissipate some of the usual open-mic awkwardness, can be attributed to the event’s seasoned organizer, Loren Armstrong. The idea for a Humble Abode originally began in early 2024, after Armstrong first met Lavender Town, a Toronto-based jazz fusion group who told her they were looking to play in Montreal a few months later. Her roommate having just moved out, she decided then and there to make the most of the space and invite the band to play in her own apartment. It went so well that Armstrong felt she had to do it again.

“The show sold out,” she said, “[and] the feedback was very kind. People loved the fact that music could exist in a space like a home, and that they were able to feel autonomous and really envelope themselves in the experience.”

Armstrong’s determination to continue Humble Abode also had to do with the changing music scene around her. Noticing iconic venues like the Diving Bell and la Tulipe closing down due to things like noise complaints or increasing operational costs, Armstrong decided to take things into her own hands.

“[Due to the closures and increase in fines], other venues had to increase their rental costs, which inevitably made booking regular so much harder for small and medium bands, of which the city has so many. Given what I had learnt [booking shows in the past], and knowing I could offer the space at little to no cost, I started booking bands in the space to allow them to connect to their audiences and share their work without having to worry about the finances.”

However, the Humble Abode has also had its fair share of issues with the city and noise complaints. Part of the reason the organization’s open mic nights are partially held in the park is to placate Armstrong’s neighbours, who have threatened to call the police on her several times for hosting shows in her residential home. “I mean, I love nature, and I love being outside,” Armstrong says. “But really what happened is that my house started getting noise complaints, and then my neighbours said they were going to call the city, which basically translates to $25,000 in fines.”

But that’s not to mean the nights outside have been any less of a success. The outreach of Instagram posts and attendees have gone up over the weeks, with many of them saying they are grateful for the space. “[People have] shared with how Humble Abode has become a third space for them – a space other than work, school, or home where people can gather and build community,” she explains. “[I]t’s all I’ve ever wanted the Abode to be.”

Financial accessibility is at the forefront of the Humble Abode. They rent equipment and gear for their open mic nights and shows for the musicians who may need it. They provide free snacks to concertgoers and performers. And most importantly, they focus on a policy of making the show experience as affordable as possible for everyone involved.

“I’m a huge proponent of accessibility; it’s often a point of contention for me with Montreal…the physical accessibility of this city is horrendous,” Armstrong says. “The point of Humble Abode is that all are welcome regardless of their situation. I was introduced to NOTAFLOF (No One Turned Away For Lack of Funds) a few years ago, and I tend to use it instead of PWYC (Pay What You Can), because it eliminates an assumption that you have to pay something. If someone comes knocking that just wants to see a good show but doesn’t have the funds to do it, who am I to say no?”

As for the artist, there is no fee for performing at Humble Abode. “[Artists] can easily drop $300 before [they’ve] even stepped on stage, which can be a huge risk. So Humble Abode is usually offered free of charge, or we work out a way to make it sustainable for all parties,” Armstrong says.

While Armstrong is moving to New York when her lease is up at the end of next year, she hopes that the Humble Abode continues to inspire others to take the reign and host DIY spaces across the city once again.

“[Organizing the Humble Abode] means everything to me,” Armstrong tells me. “I just always have energy for it...I don’t know why I do, typically I’m pretty tired. But when people give me feedback about having a third space, it is essential. A lot of people in the past had religious spaces, or community-centred spaces that were reliant on you and your family. And those kind of disappeared, especially after COVID. So people have mentioned this third space element of the Humble Abode, and it being what they looked forward to every week…People don’t even need [us], they just need third spaces.”

The Third Space of The Humble Abode

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