Maria Halavrezos | Sportscene - Canadian Canoe girls Taylor Potts and Maria Halavrezos are at it again, taking a break between training sessions to record another cover. After posting their version of John Legend’s Who Did That to You and Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs, Canadian National Team Kayaker and Nova Scotia native Shaun Fair offered to join in on the next jam session.

On a sunny afternoon off during the paddlers’ spring training camp in Florida, the three got cracking on Mavis Staples’ You Are Not Alone, from her 2010 LP produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy (http://pitchfork.com/artists/4596-wilco). Mavis Staples is an American R&B and Gospel singer, first making a name of herself in 1950 as part of The Staple Singers. Since then she has led a prolific career in Gospel, but only in 2011 did she win her first Grammy Award for her album, You Are Not Alone. Shaun, a big fan of Tweedy, suggested the song thinking it would make for a laidback blend of guitar and three voices.

Shaun (pictured left) originally introduced the song choice to Maria and Taylor by sharing a YouTube video of Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy performing an acoustic duet version, but it was the recording with multiple female backup singers that got the girls really excited to make this song their own with Shaun, in hopes of achieving a final product that was a mix of both performances.

Once the gang was tuned up, rehearsed and ready to record, it was time to face the all-important task of finding a good backdrop for shooting the video! Unfortunately by that time a mighty wind had picked up in Melbourne, Florida and options were limited, so the trio of paddlers found refuge at the Pines Resort tennis courts. If you’ve had a chance to see the final product, it goes without saying that it was a bright day as well. Taylor ran with it in the post-production edit, giving the video a ghostly bleached-out feel to complement the tune’s distant, wistful tone.

…And the flip-flops? Taylor? Shaun? What’s up with that? Any guesses, Sportscene readers?

Just because Florida training camp is over doesn’t mean the music has to stop! Here’s hoping we get to see some more musical collaborations from some of Canada’s top paddlers – perhaps this time coming from home soil.

Part I

Taylor and Maria's song interpretation of 'The Suburbs' (Arcade Fire) in the launderette of Indian Harbor Beach, Florida USA: Canadian sprint girls have got the voice, Part I