I love live music. I love to travel. I love to photograph concerts. Alas, I am not a huge fan of big time music festivals.

Too many bands and too many people with bad attitudes. Overlapping sets tend to make that big ticket price not so great a value. However, the McDowell Mountain Music Festival in Phoenix, Ariz., is a little different than most major music festivals.

It's a family event with 100 percent of proceeds going to Arizona children's charities. Did I mention it also has some really great bands? Philadelphia hip hop legends The Roots and indie rock heroes Dr. Dog will be playing the weekend-long fest in late March with The Shins, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Les Claypool, Umphrey's McGee, and many more.

Looking for a little fun without the kids? The Crescent Ballroom will be featuring late-night sets Friday and Saturday with Orgone and Deer Tick, respectively.

The festival takes place March 22-24, 2013. Tickets will be on sale starting Jan. 1 with sliding scale prices: $40 in January, $45 in February, $50 in March, $55 the day of the show. Three-day passes will be available for $120.

So if you are thinking about a music fest vacation this year, skip the hot, humid mid-summer fests and head to McDowell Mountain this March. Winter weather in Arizona is quite nice.

For more information, visit mmmf.net.