Staci and her Edge.

Staci Butler was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in October 2005 at only 33 years old. It had already spread to her lymph nodes, and the treatments were aggressive (six months of chemotherapy, two months of radiation and multiple surgeries).

“My daughter was only four months. It was pretty much a shock,” Butler says.

But instead of postponing her life, it propelled her forward.

“Before I was diagnosed, I was not actively playing with a band or writing music. I had given up playing the guitar and was thinking about selling all my equipment. But after you’re faced with your own mortality, you start to regret not living the life you want,” she says.

“I decided that if I made it through cancer, I was going to pick up that guitar and play and write music and it didn’t matter what anyone thought about it as long as I was happy.”

Butler also finished her bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Houston-Downtown and graduated one week before her last chemo treatment. (When the guitar strap comes off, she’s a computer programmer.)

“I decided that cancer was not going to stop my life,” she says. “The only time I wore a wig was when I walked across the stage to receive my diploma.”

Staci’s Edge was formed in 2008, featuring Butler on vocals, guitar and keys; Chris Shaw (guitar), Corey Moss (bass) and Kirk Gentle (drums). The rock-fueled quartet veers from polished melodies to jagged, bluesy licks on debut I’ve Got It All (issued digitally in January). Butler’s vocal influences — Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi, Norah Jones — are apparent throughout the 11 originals.

The band has been gigging regularly throughout Houston and steadily building a solid fanbase.

“I think for any musician trying to make it in this town there are going to be challenges. You’ve got to build credibility,” she says.

“I’ve heard the phrase ‘You’re good for a girl’ more times than I care to remember. I have to be confident and believe that I deserve to be onstage shredding a Les Paul just as much as the next guy.”

The title track is a simmering tribute to life’s rewards. Got Love has a swelling, gospel quality. For the First Time coasts on a hopeful piano arrangement. It’s an ambitious mix, held together by the band’s tight chemistry.

Butler directly addresses her battle with cancer on Better Than That, a survivor anthem and surf-rock standout. (“I said here’s my vein/Go ahead and pump it in.”)

“It was important to me to write a song about what I went through during cancer treatment and to express my attitude toward it,” Butler says. “I really did struggle with the decision to include it. But the experience it describes helped me to get where I am today.

“I’ll be playing music as long as I can breathe. If I have to go through cancer treatment again, I will still be onstage, bald and skinny, playing the meanest Jimi Hendrix you ever heard.”

Staci’s Edge CD-release party, with August 83. 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25 at Lucky's Pub, 801 St. Emanuel. Free; 713-522-2010 or stacisedge.com.