Last August, when local blues master Stan "The Man" Wolarz told The Prague Post that "the language of the blues is English, and I think the rhythms and the sounds of Czech are not predisposed toward blues noises," he hit on a problem often found in rock music as well. In the non-English speaking areas of Europe, language can often pre-empt the best attempts to deliver rhythms that sit tight in the pocket of the rock or blues rhythm tradition.

It was hard not to think of Wolarz later in August, when, just a few blocks from U Malého Glena, his resident venue in Malá Strana, PopoCafePetl opened as a new music club with Budapest's Egy Erzsi Kiss Zene as a headliner. The band, often referred to simply by the name of the actress, singer and front woman Erzsi Kiss, is regionally known for having dispensed with any sort of lyrical sense at all.

At first, it was tempting to try to make literal sense out of the vocals. At other times, it was hard not to wonder if Kiss and Kovács weren't singing in a West African patois, or plying a kind of blues-rock "singing in tongues" gimmick. Yet the band's emphasis on expressive timing, with every syllable dancing on the razor edge of the beat, is based on a well-rehearsed use of invented languages.

"My work started with theater, when I was working in a company where we sang songs based on rhythms from Arabic and African cultures," Kiss says via e-mail in response to a question about her novel approach to songs and singing. Offering further hints about the band's style, she adds, "Pygmies are the most influential nation of my music world. ... And if we talk about folk music, I prefer the traditional (native, pure and unqualified)."

While distancing her vocal influences from anything but the most rustic, she adds, "I really love the Doors, but if I think about it, I can [also] say Steppenwolf and all the big artists of that period. Every time I listen to them, they overawe me."

Whatever other wellsprings they may have, Erzsi Kiss has a playful approach that makes for a rock 'n' roll voodoo bound to appeal to listeners of various ages and nationalities. The current Czech tour includes gigs in Ústí­ nad Labem and Karlovy Vary. In Prague, the group will return as a headliner at PopoCafePetl Dec. 12.

But the big event is the Dec. 9 International Weekend of Women at Archa, which will celebrate and showcase Czech and regional acts in which women either constitute the entire lineup or take front stage. Besides Erzsi Kiss, other highlights will include: Japan's Yumiko working with Pavel Fajt's Autopilote; New York—born jazz-funk diva Tonya Graves singing to the New Orchestra of Dreams' rockin' big-band sound; and Tara Fuki's pop-inflected cello and vocal duets.