Irina Rivkin brings ‘soul and spirit’ to Morgan’s.

Most singer/songwriters are known for having spare instrumentation like an acoustic guitar or a piano accompanying their words. Berkeley musician Irina Rivkin strips another layer off the formula by singing her songs without any musical accompaniment.

On her 2004 CD, Upwelling, Rivkin sings most of her songs without any backup besides the voices of her friends, including vocalists Kym Tuvin, Rebecca Crump and Maria Quiles. The opening “Boulders on My Path” is a soulful empowerment song featuring only Rivkin and Tuyin’s soaring vocals. “See Through Bush” is a rhythmic political song with a rousing chorus.

In a phone interview, Rivkin says that one reason she performs and records a lot of a capella numbers is because she can no longer play piano for extended periods of time, due to a disability with her shoulders and arms. And there is an artistic reason for eschewing instrumentation.

“Part of it is out of necessity, but I think the voice expresses the soul and spirit of someone,” Rivkin says. “It is very direct.”

Recently, Rivkin discovered a tool that helps her layer her vocals at live performances: a loop station. Now, with the loop station, Rivkin is able to add vocal percussion parts to originals like “Taking Our Freedom” when she performs alone.

Basing her songs around just vocals is not the only thing that Rivkin has done differently in the music community. About eight years ago, Rivkin formed the Rose Street House of Music. She says the purpose of the organization is to “bring out women’s voices through music of depth and substance.” One of the primary thrusts of the group is to host a concert at Rivkin’s Berkeley home every month.

While helping organize a network of female musicians in Berkeley, Rivkin also seeks out local female artists to share concerts with when she heads to a new town. For her Monterey show, Rivkin has invited local female acoustic duo Trusting Lucy.

“I really like to combine music and community,” she says. “Music is about expression and connection.”

IRINA RIVKIN AND TRUSTING LUCY PERFORM AT MORGAN’S COFFEE & TEA, LOCATED AT 498 WASHINGTON ST. IN MONTEREY, FRIDAY AT 7PM. DONATION SUGGESTED. 373-5601.